David Copeland was saved at ten years old. By sixteen, he'd chosen addiction. For the next 28 years, his mother Germaine did the only thing she knew to do: she opened her Bible, opened her notebook, and prayed.
The Boy Who Knew Better
David didn't fall into addiction from ignorance. He'd made a genuine commitment to God as a child. But at sixteen, something pulled him sideways. Drugs. Alcohol. A spiral that lasted nearly three decades, through multiple rehab stays, broken relationships, and prison.
Germaine watched it all. For 28 years.
The Notebook and the Bible
Every single day, Germaine sat down with two things: her Bible and a notebook. She wrote out prayers — specific, Scripture-based prayers for David. Not vague wishes. Targeted, detailed, faith-filled declarations drawn directly from the text.
She didn't stop when David went to rehab. She didn't stop when he relapsed. She didn't stop when he went to prison. Twenty-eight years of daily, written, Scripture-anchored prayer.
Her discipline during those years became the foundation for her book *Prayers That Avail Much*, which has now sold millions of copies worldwide.
The Voice in Prison
In prison, at his absolute lowest, David heard something. He described it as God speaking directly to him: "Choose this day life or death." It wasn't audible in the normal sense. But it was unmistakable.
In May 2000, David chose life. He was delivered — not gradually, but completely. The addictions that had owned him for 28 years released their grip.
What This Means for You
Germaine's story is hard to hear because 28 years is a brutal timeline. But her method — daily, specific, Scripture-based prayer — turned her grief into a discipline that not only saved her son but helped millions of other people learn to pray with the same precision. Your pain can become someone else's pathway.