[We] are careful to make no request for ourselves only (AA 87).

And we think that the whole range of our needs is well defined by that part of Step Eleven which says: “…knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” […] Our immediate temptation will be to ask for specific solutions to specific problems[…] In that case, we are asking God to do it our way (12&12 102).

When I worked Step Eleven for the first time, this new way of praying was shocking. How could I pray without making requests for myself or others? But the Twelve and Twelve is very clear on this—we do not ask for specific things. Period. So when someone asks me to pray for them, I agree and simply ask that God give them peace, prosperity, happiness, and health. Alternately, I may pray that God’s will be done for that person. By doing it this way I’ve placed that person’s well-being in the hands of his/her Higher Power, rather than telling God how to solve his/her problems.

When I pray for myself, I typically say, “Thy will, not mine, be done.” I also ask God to keep me sober, still realizing that I may need to slip in order to learn a lesson. I do not know what’s best for me, and my prayer life will be transformed for as long as I remember that fact.