‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” And in Hebrew 13:5, God says He will never leave us or forsake us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. We don’t always understand the “why” of things that happen and we don’t always need to. He wants for us to turn to Him and trust Him.īe encouraged - Christ Jesus is faithful we can rest on Him, trusting Him always for the outcome. We all desire to be needed and wanted God wants this from us as well. In our times of weakness, we learn to rely on God’s strength and He takes great delight when we trust in Him. 1 Peter 4:12 says “.don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” The Bible tells us that we will go through trials and going through them makes us stronger. Perseverance and successes aren’t born out of good times. Serenity Prayer: How do I put this into practice? Trust Him and live one day at a time, enjoying each moment. The second part reminds us that our trust needs to be in God to work things out and recognizing that we usually don’t have any real control over hardships in this sinful world or the actions of others. In other words, it is surrendering to Him. It all comes down to asking and allowing God to give us these things. The prayer goes on to speak of accepting, courage, and wisdom. Until we allow the ‘peace of God’ to enter into our mind, heart, and soul, we will never experience that ultimate peace that defies the most severe circumstances in life. “His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). There is a Bible verse that says the peace of God is beyond all human understanding. His wonderful presence in our lives brings ‘serenity’ that can be found nowhere else. This prayer has become closely associated with 12 Step programs, offering strength and calm in pursuit of a more stable life.įirst, through uttering these words, we are acknowledging God’s existence and recognizing that He is truly the only one who can bring us inner peace regardless of chaotic circumstances. The words have special meaning to those who are often “looking for peace” at a time of turmoil, despair, or uncertainty in their lives. That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it But He did send Jesus, and those who accept His sacrifice are the only ones who have a real hope of being “reasonably happy” in this life and supremely happy in the next.God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change Ĭourage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.Īccepting hardships as the pathway to peace If that were true, He would not have sent His Son to die for sin and reconcile the sinful world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). At the same time, the serenity prayer says God takes the sinful world as it is. Fretting and worrying our way through life indicates a lack of faith in our God and an unwillingness to surrender to His will and trust that He has all things under control. The serenity prayer speaks of a life lived in calm, courageous faith in God, reminiscent of Paul’s admonition to “be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6). It has been part of Alcoholics Anonymous ever since and has also been used in other twelve-step programs.īiblically speaking, there are some excellent thoughts expressed in this prayer and may very well be something Christians can pray and meditate on. The co-founder of AA, William Griffith Wilson, and his staff liked the serenity prayer and had it printed out in modified form and handed around. The first two lines are most familiar because of their association with Alcoholics Anonymous. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change Ĭourage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.Īccepting hardships as the pathway to peace The text of the entire serenity prayer is as follows: Niebuhr himself did not publish the serenity prayer until 1951, in one of his magazine columns, although it had previously appeared under his name in 1944, when it was included in a Federal Council of Churches book for army chaplains and servicemen. There are various versions of the serenity prayer floating around with minor alterations. The serenity prayer is attributed to a Protestant theologian named Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |