November 11: A Prayer for the Worst Five Minutes

The craving just hit, and you don’t have time for a long prayer. What do you say?

Cravings don’t wait for a quiet room and a cup of coffee. They hit in the car. In the grocery aisle near the wine. At a family dinner. In the middle of a bad phone call. They come fast and strong, and in that moment, the idea of sitting down for a proper prayer seems laughable.

Good news: you don’t need one.

This psalm is one of the shortest prayers in the Bible. Hurry, God, to deliver me. Come quickly to help me. That’s about it. It’s not polished. It’s someone who’s in trouble and knows it. People have prayed these words for thousands of years when there was no time for anything longer.

Step Eleven isn’t just the quiet morning practice. It’s also the instant turn to God in the middle of a hard moment. Short prayers count. Sometimes they’re the most honest prayers you’ll pray. “Help.” “Jesus.” “Not today.” “Get me through the next ten minutes.”

Pray it, and then move. Cravings are like waves. They build, they peak, and they pass, usually sooner than you think, as long as you don’t feed them. While it’s building, change something. Leave the aisle. Get out of the room. Drink a big glass of water. Eat something. Call or text someone. Walk around the block.

Keep praying while you do. Say the short prayer over and over if you need to. It gives your mind something to hold onto other than the craving.

It helps to decide your short prayer ahead of time. Pick one now. Write it somewhere you’ll see it. Make it so automatic that when the craving hits, the words come before the old thoughts do.

And afterward, when it passes, say thank you. That’s a real win. Each one makes the next one a little easier.

One thing today

Choose your short prayer for cravings, five words or fewer. Write it on a card for your wallet or the lock screen of your phone.

A prayer

Hurry, God, to help me. When the craving hits, be quicker than my old habits. Get me through the worst minutes, and remind me afterward that You did. Amen.

For more support, see help with alcohol cravings.

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