Today, Robert Lennox is a man of prayer. Last fall, Robert lived on his own with a steady job, and though he was an alcoholic, he managed to control his drinking—most of the time. However, about once a month, his regrets and self-condemnation would overwhelm him to the point where the only way to quiet the voices was to get black-out drunk. He was constantly miserable and knew something had to change.
Robert had a few friends who raved about their experiences in the Mission’s Changed Life Recovery Program (CLRP). He knew there was probably a God but knew nothing about Jesus. Desperate for change, Robert gave up his job, apartment, keys, and phone and moved into the Mission. Your support of this ministry provided Robert with a place to turn.
“My first prayer when I walked into the Mission was to admit, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ I was filled with anguish and self-loathing. Within a week, I heard God tell me, ‘You don’t have to do this. We’ll do it together.’ Just that quickly, God lifted all the things I was trying to fix on my own. The problems didn’t go away, but he lifted their weight.”
Your partnership with the Mission allows us to help set men free from addiction and, if they’re open, how to know God personally. When Robert heard that Jesus died to pay for his sins so he could have a relationship with God, he knew it was true. Surrender came quickly:
“I went from saying, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ to ‘I can’t imagine not walking with Jesus!”
Prayer has taught Robert to let go and trust God. “My mom and son were having a difficult time, and I almost left the program to take care of them. I thought I could do something and forgot that God can do everything.” Robert knew that the best long-term result for his son was to have a better father, and he chose to stay in the program where he would continue to work towards his recovery and pray for his mother and son instead of trying to save them himself.
“Prayer is where I’m shown my true heart. Sitting there with God, asking him for strength, I find where my heart is. Prayers start with me saying, ‘Give me strength to …’ and end with God asking me, ‘Why are you letting this affect you, my child? What are you still holding onto instead of letting go?’”
Every day you set people free through your support. Over the past six months, through prayer, Robert has become a new person. “When I fail, I don’t have to fall into self-loathing. I tell God I messed up, and he still loves me; that’s a foreign feeling to me. The man I am today is totally different from the man I was when I walked in here.”
