THE SERENITY PRAYER

 

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

 

THE SERENITY PRAYER

 

Rom 12:18

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

 

          The Serenity Prayer is a prayer written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). It is commonly quoted as:

 

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can,

and wisdom to know the difference.

 

Niebuhr's prayer originally asked for courage first, and specifically for changing things that must be changed, not things that simply can be changed:

 

Father, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other.

 

Niebuhr composed the prayer in 1932–1933. The prayer spread rapidly, often without attribution to Niebuhr, through church groups in the 1930s and 1940s and was adopted and popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs. Niebuhr used it in a 1943 sermon at Heath Evangelical Union Church in Heath, Massachusetts. It also appeared in a sermon of Niebuhr's in the 1944 Book of Prayers and Services for the Armed Forces, while Niebuhr first published it in 1951 in a magazine column. (Source: Wikipedia)

 

          I carried to bed last night thoughts of things that I only partially knew to be. I also tugged along a satchel full of “can’t change its” and a pocket full of “oh, well”. These uncomfortable bedfellows finally went to sleep and so did I but this morning I remembered the Serenity Prayer.

 

Lord, I would love to be in charge of things that trouble me. I think I could make some improvements or at least offer a few suggestions. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I would just make things worse or more confusing. I might even frustrate your plans. So, grant me the courage to patiently wait until I know more, the energy to do what must be done and the wisdom to not attempt the impossible. AMEN