It helps me to remember that when I pray, I'm praying to change my mind, not God's Mind. His Mind is already made up about me, you and everyone else. He loves us all equally, unconditionally. He will never love you or me any more than He does right this second.
Some have said that praying is like dripping fresh clean water into a bucket of dirty, cloudy water -- little by little, given enough time, the dirty water will become clear.
The problem for this alcoholic is that I seem to have more in my bucket than just cloudy water. I've got rocks, sticks, broken glass, and all other manner of flotsam and jetsam in my bucket. That's why praying by itself didn't work for me -- too many bricks in my bucket.
I need to take all the spiritual
actions suggested as AA's program of recovery -- especially the fourth
and fifth steps --to begin to get the junk and refuse out of the bottom
of my bucket. I should not be satisfied with "doing" the Steps or "taking"
the Steps. If I want a life of unbelievable beauty and joy I must "be"
the Steps.