The Serenity Prayer
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference…”
Reinhold Niebuhr
Rather than starting today with a Bible scripture, we will be taking a look at the Serenity Prayer, which is near and dear to the hearts of many people. This prayer is the centerpiece of 12 step programs all over the world, as it speaks to those who live with addictions of every kind, especially addictions to drugs and alcohol. This prayer is helpful and well-known with good reason, as it is a practical prayer that is all about acceptance, courage, discernment, and wisdom.
Do you have a difficult problem or situation that you can’t change? Of course you have, and some of us do right now. We all do! But with God’s help, we can find calm and serenity in every situation, no matter what we deal with. So why not let The Serenity Prayer be the prayer you say to start each day?
Sometimes situations arise that we have no control over. Well, we may have some control in the very beginning, like where we go, what we do, the things we put in our bodies, who we choose to spend our time with. But life can be, and is, unpredictable and ever changing. Sometimes things go off track, and we may find ourselves stuck in a difficult situation that we did not want nor did we cause or anticipate it. This can happen in lot of different ways and on different levels.
Staying Close to Jesus When Things Seem Out of Our Control
Maybe we choose to eat all the wrong foods and because of those choices, become diabetic and need to take insulin due to an unhealthy diet. Perhaps we find that those we have been spending much of our time with people who are toxic and not good for us. Such people may destroy our peace, challenge our faith, be hard to get along with, or may even lead us astray, which is often the case with drug and alcohol addiction.
We don’t want to stray from the life God has planned for us. He wants us to stay close to Jesus and live peace-filled lives. We need to stay aware and do whatever it takes to grow in our relationship with Jesus. But sometimes it happens that we purposely, or inadvertently, wander away from God -- through things that are within our control, and also through things that are out of our control. We want to always do the right ‘thing,’ but sometimes things go awry, we make bad choices, and we exercise our free will in a way that is not what God’s will is for us. There were many leaders in the Bible who experienced this sort of humanness. I think that the following scripture written by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament in the Bible says it best:
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”
Romans 7:18-19
Whether things are out of control because of our own personal decisions, or out of control through no fault of our own, The Serenity Prayer may be helpful to us in each of these scenarios. The beginning of this prayer is the part that many of us know well, however, the second part goes into even more detail and is also important to remember:
The Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
Reinhold Niebuhr
You will want to take this prayer and place it on the refrigerator in your kitchen where you can see it often. Better yet, tuck it in your Bible, so you can look at it and refer to it when you need a gentle reminder. It will help you with your greatest challenges, and give you peace, serenity and calm during tough times, if you can simply follow what it says. How does this prayer have a calming effect?? Well, here are 7 things you can do to help you live a peace-filled, calm life that is free from chaos and mayhem, regardless of the adversity you face:
Finding Serenity & Calm: 7 Things to Remember
- Pray and ask God to help you find peace and serenity in your circumstance.
- Try to accept hardships and the things you cannot change, even if just for today, and remember this: Nothing lasts forever. Each day is a new day, and things can always change for the better with God’s help.
- Pray for the courage to rise above your situation and to change the things you can.
- Pray for wisdom and discernment to know God’s will in every situation; to understand what you can change, and what you cannot.
- Remember—this is not a perfect world.
- Try to live in the here and now—one day at a time.
- Trust that God will help you if you ask Him.
With God’s unfailing help, it is possible to find peace, serenity and calm in every situation. Let today be the day you make the Serenity Prayer your own prayer, as you anticipate how God will hear and answer your prayer!
© Copyright 2023 | Adele M. Gill
