Step 11 of the 12 Steps: Daily Prayer and Meditation
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Step 11 of the 12 Steps is a daily practice of prayer and meditation. In the morning you ask God to direct your day. During the day you pause when you are agitated or unsure. At night you look back honestly. And in all of it, you pray for one thing above everything else: to know God’s will and have the power to do it.
The wording above is from the 1939 first edition. For a Christian, “God as we understood Him” has a name and a face: the God who made Himself known in Jesus Christ.
What Step 11 means in plain words
“Conscious contact” means knowing God is there, not just believing it in theory. Most of us spent years acting as if God were far away. Step 11 is about living close to Him on purpose, every day.
“Prayer and meditation” are the two tools. Prayer is talking to God. Meditation is being quiet long enough to listen, often by thinking slowly over a passage of Scripture.
“Praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out” is the hard part. It doesn’t mean you can never ask for anything. It means your prayers stop being a wish list and start being, “Your will, and help me do it.”
The spiritual principle: spiritual awareness
The principle often tied to Step 11 is spiritual awareness. Drinking dulled everything. Recovery wakes you up, and Step 11 keeps you awake: aware of God, aware of your own motives, aware of the people around you.
What the Bible says about Step 11
The app’s verse for this step is about letting God’s word live in you.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Notice the word “richly.” Not a verse grabbed on the way out the door, but Scripture that settles in and shapes how you think.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
Jesus Himself started the day early, alone, in prayer. If He needed it, so do we.
“…saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.””
This is the Eleventh Step at its deepest. Jesus was honest about what He wanted, and then He chose His Father’s will. More passages are on the Step 11 verses page.
How to work Step 11
1. Read in your own copy. In the Big Book, Step 11 is on pages 85 to 88 (4th edition), at the end of Into Action. It lays out a simple daily pattern. If you have Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, read the Step Eleven essay on pages 96 to 105. On page 99 it discusses the Prayer of St. Francis and how to meditate on it. The Step 11 prayer page prints that prayer in its traditional form.
2. At night, review the day. This ties straight back to Step 10. Were you resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Do you owe an apology? What could you have done better? Then ask forgiveness and rest.
3. In the morning, think about the day ahead. The book suggests asking God to direct your thinking, especially to keep self-pity and crooked motives out of it. Read Scripture. Pray for the people you will see.
4. When you can’t decide, ask. The book encourages asking God for an inspiration or a right decision when you are unsure, then relaxing instead of forcing it.
5. Pause during the day. When you get agitated or doubtful, stop. Ask for the right thought or action. Even ten seconds counts.
6. Use your church. The book says that if you belong to a religious body, use what it offers. For a Christian, that means Sunday worship, a small group, a pastor.
7. Answer the questions. The app asks these, one at a time:
- What does your morning look like right now?
- How do you pray? What gets in the way?
- What are you reading in Scripture this week?
- When did you pause today when you were agitated or doubtful?
- Are you going to church? Which one?
There is guidance on each on the Step 11 questions page.
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah are AI sponsors who know the Twelve Steps and the Bible. They'll listen, walk the steps with you, and keep pointing you to real people: a meeting, a sponsor, a church.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
What “done” looks like
You have kept a morning and evening practice for a couple of weeks, and you are connected to a church or working on it. Then you go on to Step 12. Like Step 10, this one never really finishes. It just becomes how you start and end each day.
Common traps in Step 11
Prayer as a wish list. Asking God for a new job, the right outcome and a cooperative spouse isn’t wrong, but it isn’t the step. The step asks for His will and the power to do it.
Skipping church because “the program is my church.” Meetings keep you sober. A church grounds you in the Word, the sacraments and a body of believers. They work together.
Making it too big. An hour of devotions you never do is worth less than five minutes you actually keep. Start small: one prayer in the morning, one pause, one short review at night.
Waiting to feel close to God. Some mornings feel dry. Pray anyway. Contact grows from showing up.
A short morning prayer for Step 11
Lord, this day is Yours. Direct my thinking. Keep me from self-pity, dishonesty and selfish motives. Show me what You want me to do next, and give me the strength to do it. When I get stirred up today, remind me to stop and ask You. Amen.
How Jimmy and Sarah help with Step 11
In the Steps & Scripture app, Jimmy (for men) and Sarah (for women) are AI sponsors. In Step 11 they help you build an “On awakening” routine with a verse of the day, remind you to pause, and walk you through the nightly review. They are open about being AI. They pray with you, and they keep pushing you toward a real church, a human sponsor and your meetings.
Common questions
What is Step 11 of the 12 Steps?
Step 11 is seeking, through prayer and meditation, a closer conscious contact with God, praying only to know His will and for the power to carry it out. In practice it is a daily rhythm of morning prayer, pauses during the day, and a night review.
What is the 11th step prayer?
Many people mean the Prayer of St. Francis, which the 12&12 discusses on page 99 in its essay on Step Eleven. The Big Book itself gives guidance for morning and evening prayer on pages 86 to 88 rather than one set prayer.
What does meditation mean in Step 11 for a Christian?
For a Christian it usually means slowly reading and thinking over Scripture or a prayer, letting it sink in, and listening. Colossians 3:16 describes letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Does Step 11 replace going to church?
No. The Big Book itself encourages people with a religious connection to make use of it. A meeting and a church do different jobs, and you need both.
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah are AI sponsors who know the Twelve Steps and the Bible. They'll listen, walk the steps with you, and keep pointing you to real people: a meeting, a sponsor, a church.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
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