The Serenity Prayer
“God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference!
Living one day at 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;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with you forever in the next!”
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There has been some dispute in recent years as to who may have authored this prayer. Most say it was written by a Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr who was a theologian in the 1930’s and 1940’s. There are some accounts that Dr. Niebuhr may have read this as an obituary and credited an earlier theologian from the 1800’s. Nonetheless, the words and the meaning within this prayer are so profound. This prayer asks God for serenity, courage, and wisdom. Then it goes on to say that we know we must endure some hardships in this life, but if we surrender to God and trust Him that we can be happy for the time we have on this earth and then even happier when we are with Him in heaven forever.
There are some things in life and some people in our lives that we cannot change. No matter how much it might hurt, no matter how unfair it might seem and no matter how badly people might treat us. Once we come to this realization and move on, then we can go forward in our own lives and receive the blessings God has for us.
The word serenity is defined as being calm and tranquil; the state of being peaceful.
Whenever, we are in the midst of a struggle or even struggles, our main prayer or thought is normally for the struggle to be over! Then when we realize we might be in a struggle for a while, the next thing we desire is for peace as we go through. We desire peace so that we won’t be so anxious and so that we don’t become overly frustrated. We desire peace so that we can rest better in the night and focus on other things during the day. We desire peace so that we won’t be influenced to make rash and wrong decisions as we go through our struggles.
The bible says:
“Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning!” Psalm 30:5
“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. ” Matthew 11:28-30
“For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15
Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you, He will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
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I’ve always liked the above lines .. they r very close to my heart..!!
Shaun, I’ve always liked these words as well. Some things we have to let go and know that we can’t change them. It takes the wisdom and the courage to move on. Thanks for reading my post!
yeah and nice work by the way .. you know i also have started writing some of y experiences on my blog Perhaps u can visit them and give me reviews…!!
Thank you for these Anointed Words from the Lord!
Love It Jackie!!! So true!! Keep blogging! I thank God for my Peace!!
Very encouraging & strong words. In the 5+years of going through my health disorder, these very words have and still get me through my painful days & nights.. I have learned that this is only a test and I will continually prayer for Serenity, Courage, & Wisdom; and wait patiently for God to heal me. Thanks jchap.
Amen! Amen! Amen! We serve an awesome God! Continue to let Him use you for His Glory!
Thanks, Nancy!