The hardest years of my life so far were my late high school/early college years because I was struggling with an eating disorder (Ed) and going through the recovery process. My life felt so dark and so depressing. It took years for me to even see a faint flicker of light at the end of a very long tunnel.
You probably won’t hear this from secular therapists or self-help books, but eating disorders are spiritual battles. Yes, various things can “trigger” eating disorders—but they’re ultimately “triggered” by lies from the devil. Eating disorders develop as people hear and believe (and act on) the lies he tells them. If you have a friend with an eating disorder, prayer is your best weapon in this spiritual battle, and these are a few specific ways you can pray:
1. Pray She* Will Have a Humble Heart
For years, I allowed Ed to control everything I thought, said, and did. I lived a life of dishonesty and disobedience. Ed was an idol—and frankly, an addiction—that I didn’t even realize I had. When I started the recovery process, I was very anti-recovery. My obstinance kept me from making progress mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for a long time.
Based on my own experience, I believe one of the most important things you can ask God to give your friend is humility. Ed brings out the worst in people—the arrogance and stubbornness of their sinful flesh. Though I don’t know your friend with an eating disorder and thus can’t say with certainty that she’s living in sin, she absolutely needs to rely on God. If she humbles herself before Him, He’ll give her the grace she needs to move forward.
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 ESV)
2. Pray She Will Resist the Devil
Eating disorders are complex because they’re not solely physical or solely psychological. Ed affected my physical health, mental health, emotional health, and spiritual health. Yet at its core, it was a spiritual battle. When I failed to fight the devil’s lies, they took root in my heart, mind, and soul. They prompted a years-long struggle that could’ve killed me.
Your friend with an eating disorder is facing the same enemy. Her struggle may be complex, but the aims of the devil are simple: steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). If your friend belongs to Jesus, the devil can’t physically kill her, but he can tell her destructive lies and lead her down a destructive path that will indeed result in death. She can only have victory when she resists him and submits to God instead. Pray she’ll make this decision on a daily basis.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 ESV)
3. Pray She Will Know God’s Presence
Even in—or perhaps especially in—my recovery, I harbored deep hatred for my body and deep bitterness toward God because I didn’t feel like He was helping me recover. After all, I still despised how I looked. I still believed the devil’s lies were true. I still felt helpless and hopeless. It took a long time for me to see God’s involvement in my recovery. But I can now see He was involved—especially by providing patient, caring people to support me in the recovery process.
Even if your friend with an eating disorder is a Christian, she might feel like she’s fighting alone. That’s a natural, normal feeling. But the truth is that the Holy Spirit indwells believers, which means they’re never actually alone. He’s with them in the spiritual battles they face. Pray for your friend to know God’s presence in a deep, personal way and to continually draw near to Him.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you… (James 4:8 ESV)
*For the sake of simplicity, I use female pronouns throughout this post. Eating disorders are generally more common among females than males, but these prayers apply to anyone with an eating disorder. If you want to share an encouraging resource with your friend, you can find a free 10-day devotional about recovery on my Freebies page.
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