STEP TWO

Came to believe that a power greater than
ourselves could restore us to sanity.

For it is God who works in you to will and
to act according to his good purpose.
(PHIL. 2:13)

Understanding Step Two

"I looked at the white, turbulent waters of the river and melted inside. Any courage I had mustered seeped through my sweating pores. My legs turned to spaghetti at the thought of taking the inflated raft down the rapids—all in the name of fun. Then the river guide, who would steer and command our raft, began to speak. He sounded so sure of himself, so confident that everything would be fine. He gave us instructions, taught us the commands, made us laugh, and even put me at ease. It was crazy, I guess, but I trusted him to make this insane river ride a safe and enjoyable experience."

Step Two is about faith—trust and believing. Faith isn't intellectualized—it just is. Faith isn't manufactured—it's from God. Faith isn't earned—it's a gift. Faith isn't optional—it's a must. Many turbulent and troubled waters await us in our recovery. God knows that, and he prepares us by placing faith in our hearts. When we finally look to God, we will have the faith to believe he is there.

Working Step Two

Step One, if worked properly, leaves us feeling empty. We are left saying, "If I am powerless and cannot manage my life, who can?" God can! God begins to show us his ability by putting a simple seed of faith in our hearts. That seed is simply a growing confidence that someone else, far greater than ourselves, will take charge. Step Two helps us acknowledge the seed of faith that God has given us.

Preparing for Step Two

We prepare for Step Two by acknowledging that we don't know everything about our Higher Power. Many of us have a distorted view of God. We may believe that God is like our abusive or absent parents or significant others. We may believe that God doesn't care how we feel, that he is cruel and waiting to judge us. We may have been threatened with God's punishment all our lives. "The distorted images that parents place in our hearts and minds carry directly over to our image of God. We grow up feeling that God sees us as our parents did. And so, we grow up seeing ourselves and our God through distorted eyes. " Preparing for Step Two requires that we set aside our old images and mistaken beliefs about God.

Prayer for Step Two

I pray for an open mind so I may come to believe in a power greater than myself. I pray for humility and the continued opportunity to increase my faith. I don't want to be crazy any more.

With the help of Step One we came to grips with the fact that we are powerless and our lives are unmanageable. Our next step is to acknowledge the existence of a power greater than ourselves. Believing in God does not always mean that we accept his power. As Christians, we know God, but do not necessarily invite his power into our lives. In Step Two, we have an opportunity to experience God in a different light. Jesus said in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit would be sent in his name to teach us and remind us of all he has said. In Step Two, we begin to reestablish our relationship, or, establish a relationship with God for the first time. This step gives us an opportunity to experience faith in a power greater than ourselves. This connection will grow and become a vital part of our daily lives.

For many of us, this step presents major obstacles. Since we find it hard to trust others, the loneliness of our present condition causes us to fall back on our own resources. We may even doubt that God can heal us or even be interested in doing so. Unless we let go of our distrust and begin to lean on God, we will continue to operate in an insane manner. The chaos and confusion of our lives will only increase.

Depending on our religious background, some of us may have been taught that God is an authority to be feared. We never saw him as a loving God. As children, we were anxious and feared doing something wrong. Sometimes the threat of being punished by God was used by adults to control our childish behavior. Our fear of displeasing God magnified our growing sense of guilt and shame. As adults, we continue to fear people in authority and are often overcome by guilt and shame for simple misdeeds.

We still may be harboring childhood anger at God because he often disappointed us. Due to the severity of our experiences, some of us rejected God because he did not relieve our pain. Despite our belief that God is with us,
in moments of fear we doubt his presence. Even those who are dealing with their problems and are in contact with their Higher Power experience moments of doubt. In Step Two, our goal is to believe that God, a power greater than ourselves, can guide us in our journey toward peace and healing.

For some of us, belief in self-will and our ability to manage our own lives is all we have. We perceive God as a crutch for children and weak-willed individuals who are incapable of managing their own lives. As we begin to see God's true nature, a weight is lifted from our shoulders. We begin to view life from a different perspective.
One of the great paradoxes of Christianity is that man is never completely free until he totally yields to God. In John 8:32, Jesus made a promise when he said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." In this step, we begin to recognize that God does, in fact, have the power and intention to alter the course of our lives. In the scriptures, we are assured of God's presence within us. We are shown that through him all things are possible. If we harce accepted the truth regarding our condition and have come to believe in our Higher Power, we are well on our way to true spiritual freedom.

Step Two is called "The Hope Step." It gives us new hope as we begin to see that help is available to us. We must simply reach out and accept what our Higher Power has to offer. It is here that we form the foundation for growth of our spiritual life, which will help us become the person we want to be. All we need to do is be willing to believe that a power greater than ourselves is waiting to be our personal salvation. What follows is a process that will bring this power into our lives and enable us to grow in love, health, and grace.

LOOKING TO SCRIPTURE

Coming to believe in a power greater than ourselves requires faith. In the past, we have placed our faith in our own abilities to run our lives, and that faith has proven worthless. It was misplaced and never did for us what we thought it would. Now we need to actively place our faith in God. At first, it may seem unrealistic to place our faith in a power we cannot see or touch. Yet the very existence of our universe in all its glory gives ample evidence of the true power, love, and majesty of the God we seek.

Helpful Hint: Read Step Two Devotional on "Hope in Faith" from Heb. 11:1-10, Life Recovery Bible.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side...but the boat was ...buffeted by the waves... During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ..."Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." MATT. 14:22-34

Relying on a power greater than ourselves will give us confidence and hope.

Faith grows through practice. Each time we sense faith and act upon it, our faith becomes stronger. Every time we ask our Higher Power for help and receive it, our faith is strengthened. We will finally accept the fact that God is dependable and will never leave us. All we need to do is ask for help and trust in his power.

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." MATT. 17:20

With our smallest first step to God, we will experience the comfort he has promised us.
Faith is like a mustard seed. It begins small and grows to influence our lives. To think that little faith is sufficient is wrong. Small mustard seed faith, is just the beginning. Growing, developing, and maturing faith is what we want.

"If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief?" MARK 9:23-24

Regardless of our past stuggles, we must realize that God's power, not our own, ensures our success.

One great secret of learning to have faith is found in the joyful revelation that the Spirit of God is always within us. God wants to share an intimate relationship with us. God declares that he will never leave us or forsake us. He will be as close to us as we allow him to be.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked; the foe of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. Ps. 34:18-22

Even though we have rejected him in the past, God will always be close to us and mend our broken spirit.
We begin to trust our Higher Power as we develop a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We also begin to rely on him to help us become aware of the extent of our disabling condition. Step Two implies that we are insane. A common definition of insanity in the program is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results each time. In this sense, we can see our behavior as insane. We still may be blaming everyone and everything for our condition instead of taking responsibility for our own behavior. Or we may still be struggling to control others in order to improve our own lives.

Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 2 COR. 1:9

However desperate we may be, God's power will relieve our depression and lead us to a new life.

Our traumatic childhood experiences caused us to become defiant, indifferent, resentful, self-deluded, and self-centered. Our adult lives need to be restored to a more balanced state. We can find that balance if we are willing to believe that God's Holy Spirit is a power greater than ourselves and that he can restore us to sanity. When we attempt to do it alone, we often deceive ourselves by looking to outside sources for the causes of our problems. With the help of Christ, these deceitful behaviors can be healed from the inside out. For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. PHIL. 2:13

God can restore us to wholeness and free us from the hurt and pain of our past.

One way God helps us see our condition clearly is to bring us into contact with others who share experiences similar to ours. It becomes evident, when sharing our stories in meetings and through fellowship, that each of us can maintain "emotional sobriety" only one day at a time. Also, God helps us realize that actions destructive to ourselves or to others are not acceptable. As we become more dependent on God's power, the quality of our lives will improve and serenity will begin to replace our anxiety.

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 2 COR. 3:5

If we trust him, our Lord will lead us out of the despair we feel when we recognize the dysfunction in our lives.

When we started this program, we may have been expecting instant results. From our childhood, we remember feeling anger or confusion when things didn't happen "right now." In this program, sudden change is the exception, not the rule. It requires patience and perseverance to achieve the recovery we seek. Each of us is unique, and recovery begins for each of us at different stages in the steps. Some of us may experience instant relief, whereas others may not begin to feel stronger until later in the program. There is no rule or guideline. Progress occurs at the most appropriate time.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ISA. 40:28-31

We must work to set aside our impatience and frustration, believing that God will give us sufficient strength to meet our needs.

Step Two suggests a restoration to sanity. Humility is required to allow this state of mind to unfold. For most of us, lack of humility contributed to our present situation. Humility is a spiritual virtue that we develop with God's help. Developing humility is a recurrent theme of the program. We become humble as we are slowly able to relinquish our pride, self-will, and defiance. In Philippians 2:5 we are told, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." And Jesus' attitude was one of obedience to do his Father's will, to submit to his Father's plan and power.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, .. .neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ROM. 8:38-39

Neither our pride nor any evil can put us beyond the reach of Gods love for us.

When we become ready to accept our powerlessness and unmanageability (Step One), and when we trust our Higher Power, Jesus Christ, to restore us to sanity (Step Two), we will be ready to make a decision to turn our lives over to the care of God (Step Three). There is no need to rush the process of working the steps. The important thing is to heed the Bible's admonition that "the hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber" (Rom. 13:11). We move forward in faith so we will be able to proceed with the remaining steps. To move forward we need not understand what lies ahead. We only need to trust that God knows the way and he loves us.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ISA. 41:10

Our deepening spiritual strength reminds us of God's constant presence in our lives.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. JOHN 3:16-17

Seen in the light of God's love, the Twelve Steps are a pathway to our wholeness and salvation.

KEY IDEAS

Higher Power: Because Step One has helped us understand our powerlessness, we need a power beyond ourselves to help and heal us. God is so great and merciful that he does not require that we name him precisely. God is even willing to be anonymous for a time. Remember how God led the Three Wise Men from the East to Christ? The Wise Men did not know the God of Israel or Jesus. They worshiped the stars. So God used a star to lure them. In a similar way, God leads many to himself through the idea of a "Higher Power" in Twelve-Step programs. In Step Two we need to come to believe that there is a loving Higher Power who is willing to help us.

Belief. Belief in something or someone is more than acknowledging that something or someone exists. For example, the Bible says that the demons in Hell believe that God exists, yet that belief doesn't save them (James 2:19). Belief that saves implies trust and commitment. It is one thing to believe that a chair will hold my weight. It is another thing to sit in it. When I sit in the chair, I truly believe in it. In Step Two we come to believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity. We do more than acknowledge God's existence: We begin to exercise trust in him to hold us.