The Recovery Journey: How You and God Work Together

By Pastor Johnny Baker, Pastor and Global Executive Director

“If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”

Mark 5:28 (NIV)

When I first got into recovery, I thought of it as a spectator sport. I figured if I hung around enough, recovery would kind of just happen to me. Recovery by osmosis, I guess. But the first three lines of the Serenity Prayer showed me pretty quickly that this was not the case.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” So there are things I can’t do, and there are things I can. How am I supposed to know which is which?

I love to pray and ask God for his direction and guidance. I will often ask God what I should do in a particular situation, or sometimes, just in life in general. I know that many of us could give a testimony of a time he answered that prayer and showed us what to do. As good as it feels to seek God in these situations, there is a part of it we don’t often talk about—where we have to get active and do our part in the process.

If you and I want healing, we must become aware that there is God’s part and our part. Too often, I try to do God’s part when I’m just supposed to do mine. One of my favorite stories from the Gospel is the story of a woman who has suffered from bleeding. She knows she needs God to intervene and do his part, but she also knows she has a part to play. She says, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed” (Matthew 9:21 NLT). Then, she reaches out her hand to touch him! After she is healed, the Bible tells us that Jesus asked who touched him, and when she answered it was her, he told her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34 NIV). But don’t miss this: Her faith was evident in her touch. She could have had just as much faith that a touch would heal her, but if she didn’t put her faith into action, she would have missed that healing.

You and I have a part to play in our recovery. There is God’s part, and there is your part. Take a moment and ask God what your next steps in recovery are. Should you reach out and offer amends to someone you hurt? Should you begin attending a Step Study? Is it time to share your testimony or become a leader? God will show you. But then, ask him what your part is. Ask him for the power to do the things that scare you and have faith that healing is on the other side of that action.

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If you would like to learn how to start your own Celebrate Recovery ministry, to contact your Celebrate Recovery Rep, please visit: https://crgroups.info/. To get involved in an already existing Celebrate Recovery ministry near you, please visit: https://locator.crgroups.info/.