I get this question a lot. “Can God remove my addiction?” Or said another way, “Can I be completely healed of my addiction?”
The short answer is “Yes.” Of course, God can heal any addiction 100 percent.
“This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you’” (2 Kings 20:5).
God can completely heal your addiction, because he’s God. He can also regrow an arm that is lost in an accident, remove Stage 4 cancer, and restore sight to the blind.
But don’t put God in a box. He is not a Genie awaiting your next command.
I have observed that for every 100 men who pray for their addiction to be taken away, maybe one sees it happen. Why is this?
The reason addiction rarely just goes away is that the causes don’t go away. Addiction is the result of trauma, abuse, and isolation. Those bring lasting scars. And scars have consequences.
I ran through a glass door when I was eight. I was rushed to the ER with horrendous cuts from the shattered glass, all over my body After several hours of surgery, and with anywhere from three to twenty stitches applied to each wound, I was sent home. It’s been 54 years, and I still bear those scars.
I have actually come to thank God that he hasn’t removed my addiction. I call it my great unwanted gift. Why? Because my addiction keeps me in a perpetual state of surrender. It reminds me that my fidelity to God is a daily battle; I never take a day off. It reminds me that apart from Jesus I can do nothing.
Recovery Step: Can God remove your addiction? Sure, he can. But in his sovereign grace, he may not.
