For years, my mother had The Serenity Prayer hung in our home.  I can remember it vividly as a child.  I can also remember thinking what an odd prayer, mostly because it made no sense to me as a child.  

In my adult years, however, I have come to treasure the words contained within this prayer.  Serenity, courage and wisdom.  Who doesn’t need that daily?  

With the swirl of the world around us, the meaning of this prayer is quite significant in my life.  Between work and home alone, there are hundreds of decisions in a week’s time that require differentiating between acceptance or action.  

I used to think I could control most things within my life.  Boy, was I wrong.  It has probably been one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn; relinquishing control to God.  I suspect the author, Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr, felt similarly.  Such daily decisions are likely what prompted this heartfelt prayer found within his diary so many years ago.  Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr is broadly accepted as the author of what we now know as The Serenity Prayer.  The prayer was circulated throughout the 1930s and 1940s, and was eventually popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous.

There are still many days that I swing the wrong direction, but with faithful prayer, I come closer to a place of peace within my everyday decisions.  Take a moment and read the words contained within this short prayer.  Let them soak in.  Reflect on how this prayer can help you remain “anxious about nothing.” (Philippians 4:6)

Where do you need to ask for serenity?  Go to the throne and ask boldly.  He promises to be faithful to our prayers.