What is the serenity prayer? Is it biblical? and 5 principles of serenity prayer in the Bible
Origin of the Serenity Prayer: Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr
Reinhold Niebuhr is universally credited as the author of what we call “the Serenity Prayer.” Its broadcast was probably taken from an excerpt from the journal of Winnifred Crane Wygal, Niebuhr’s student and collaborator. Wygal placed the prayer in newspaper articles as early as the 1930s and then, in somewhat modified form, in a worship book in 1940.
Over the years, different versions of the prayer have been published. The Serenity Prayer can be found in the common abbreviated form or the longer full version with modified language portions. The most popular version is:
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.
The best-known version was published in 1951 with the addition of the word “grace.” This full version reads:
GOD, GIVE ME THE GRACE TO ACCEPT WITH SERENITY THINGS THAT CANNOT BE CHANGE,
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS THAT SHOULD BE CHANGED,
AND THE WISDOM OF DISTINGUISHING ONE FROM ANOTHER.
LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME,
ENJOYING ONE MOMENT AT A TIME,
ACCEPT DIFFICULTIES AS A PATH TO PEACE,
TAKING, AS JESUS DID,
THIS SINNING WORLD AS IT IS,
NOT LIKE I WOULD HAVE IT,
HOPING THAT EVERYTHING WILL GO WELL,
IF I SUBMIT TO YOUR WILL,
SO THAT I CAN BE REASONABLY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE,
AND SUPREMELY HAPPY WITH YOU FOREVER IN THE NEXT.
AMEN.
We will see 5 principles of serenity prayer in the Bible
The Serenity Prayer is a petition to God asking for calm and peace in all areas of life. It requires strength and courage to change matters that are within the person’s control and to be accepted in matters that cannot be changed. Ultimately, prayer requires the ability to identify circumstances that may change.
God directs us.
Proverbs 20:24 teaches us: “A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?
Justice and God’s providence control a person’s paths, steps and directions. The believer must accept His guidance and influence before he can experience inner calm and peace.
There are things we cannot change.
Titus 3:9 teaches to “avoid foolish questions, genealogies, disputes, and strife against the law; because they are useless and vain.
Man does not have the capacity to change his family tree, his science, or his factual history. Debating and questioning factual issues has no useful consequences and only creates confusion and unrest
We need God’s help to discern wisely.
In Matthew 16:3 it says “and tomorrow morning, “it will be a storm today, for the sky is red and overcast.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
This scripture tells us that it is easy to observe what is easily visible to the eye, but the meaning of what is obvious is not always understood. Time cannot be changed regardless of human attempts to control it. However, one can prepare and make decisions based on clearly objective observations.
The power to overcome sin comes from God.
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer him every part of yourself as an instrument of justice. For sin will no longer be your master, for you are not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:12-14).
The person without the Holy Spirit (the unbeliever) may believe the lie that they are hopelessly unable to control urges to abuse alcohol due to a genetic predisposition to drug addiction.
The believer with the Holy Spirit would agree that one cannot control sinners with one’s own strength and power (Hebrews 2:17-18). The believer realizes that the power to overcome the sinful desires of the flesh is only through and throughSpirit of God (Romans 8:12-13).
We must submit to God’s good ways and not continue our sinful ways.
The Serenity Prayer is consistent with the fact that the ways and desires of men and those of God do not always correspond.
The prophet Isaiah in 55:8-9 boldly declares “(f)or my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts are yours.”
The Serenity Prayer Among Alcoholics Anonymous
The recovery group, Alcoholics Anonymous, incorporates the short form of the Serenity Prayer into its 12-step program, viewing the path to full recovery as a spiritual journey. Prayer provides a encouragement spiritual to willing participants by breaking down each essential step of recovery. The first being acceptance.
By joining Alcoholics Anonymous, the participant accepts the negative presence and power that alcohol has in her life. No damage or harm suffered in the alcoholic’s life thus far can be altered or changed. Prayer asks for the wisdom to determine what can be changed and what cannot be changed. This knowledge and application forces the participant to realize that they cannot control the urges or the effects of alcohol on their body but that they have the power to control the consumption of alcoholic beverages at the same time. excess or placing oneself in places or circumstances detrimental to sobriety.
About the Author
Chad is a believer in Christ, lawyer, amateur golfer, runner, dog lover and writer. He enjoys serving his church as a deacon and Sunday school teacher. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter and his dedication to golf at par3sixteen.com. He and his wife Brandi reside in Tennessee with their canine son Alistair.
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