Week 9 - Day 1 - Living In Serenity

Finding Serenity: A Devotional on the Serenity Prayer

Introduction:

The Serenity Prayer, penned by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, has resonated deeply with countless individuals seeking solace, guidance, and spiritual strength. Its words encapsulate the essence of surrender, courage, and wisdom. As we delve into the devotionals over the coming week, let us reflect on each phrase of the prayer, allowing its timeless wisdom to guide us towards serenity in our lives.

Lets pray it together now.

“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.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardships as the 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.”

The first three parts, a request for serenity, courage and wisdom, are made to God. Why? Because He is the only reliable source of all these things. He alone knows the inner most workings of our hearts and He can make all things work for good if we surrender to Him.

There’s a good reason that this prayer is the foundational prayer of the twelve step recovery movement like Alcoholics Anonymous.

Lets take a look at this prayer in sections.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

How much energy do you expend every day fighting against things you can’t change. Lets take the past for example. Can you go back and rewrite history? No. You can go back and make amends to who ever you may have hurt back then but the past is the past.

You may be unhappy with your parents and how they raised you. You may spend your whole life hating someone for something they did to you but what’s done is done and as my wife often says.. ‘Oh well, you get that.’

Think about all those things that make you angry and rob you of your serenity. Make a list of all these things. Then go through the list and, with an open mind, draw a red line through all the things you cannot change. Look at how much that list has shrunk? I have often done this with angry men and women we have worked with to help them cope with their anger management.

Begin by acknowledging the limitations of your control. Reflect on the areas of your life where you feel a sense of resistance or frustration. Surrender these circumstances to Jesus, embracing the peace that comes from acceptance.

Courage to change the things I can

Now that your list has been dramatically reduced, it’s now time to prioritise the list into a to-do list. This is the time to ‘bite the bullet’, to take a deep breath and ask God to empower you remembering that you now have the beginnings of a good relationship with Jesus.

Remember one of last weeks lesson verses.

Philippians 4:13 in the New King James Version (NKJV), which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

We are week in so many ways in our own power but in faith and acceptance of God’s power then anything is possible. Now that you are dealing with each item on your list, acknowledge God’s gift to you in prayers of gratitude and give yourself a tick for embarking on this journey of anger list reduction.

Courage is often found in the willingness to confront challenges head-on. Identify areas in your life where change is possible. Summon the bravery to take action, knowing that with determination and faith, you can overcome obstacles and manifest positive transformation.

And the wisdom to know the difference

God and His Holy Spiritis required here too. As we experience the new found power in prayer we can summon super natural forces to look at life through a clearer lens. As obstacles arise and challenges present themselves we can apply the wisdom of our new learning to discern these challenges into files. Can’t change list and to do list.

A handy way of doing this for ma is WWJD….What would Jesus do?

You can do this; after all, you are created in the image of God and He doesn’t make junk.

Prayer.

Dear Lord, Papa God.

As we apply your principles through the Serenity Prayer please guide and lead us and fortify us to live by this prayer  every moment of our lives. We know we are hopeless in our own power but we accept your gift of love and mercy, knowing that you know the innermost workings of our hearts and our desire to do as you require. We thank you for the promise of serenity in a world bent on self destruction. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen.

Graham Hood