Dec 18, 20203 min read

What's Your Favorite Prayer?

All prayers serve a purpose. There are prayers for petitions, confession, intercession, praise and thanksgiving, and adoration. Some of the most common are the Lord's prayer, the Serenity prayer, and the Saint Francis of Assis prayer, to name a few. In my case, one of my favorites is the Serenity Prayer. Of course, my number one is the Lord's prayer, but this one has a special place in my heart.

For those of you who might not be familiar with the serenity prayer, it was written by Reinhold Niebuhr, who was a pastor and theologian around the year 1915. There's a short and a long version of the prayer. Here's the long version:

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.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking as He did this sinful world as it is not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will.

That I may reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.

So why this prayer is one of my favorites? There are five main reasons.

First, it is a petition and grace kind-of prayer that invites acceptance to our lives. Acceptance has been the answer to many of the challenging circumstances of my life such as the loss of my babies. Also, it has helped me realize that I cannot change or control people, things, or places.

Second, there are things that I can control, such as my attitude towards life. I could've decided to live a bitter and depressed life. I could've made the decision to not "forgive and forget". But I decided to forgive, let go, and let God do His work. Understanding the difference between the things I can and cannot change help me move to a place of acceptance or makes me ask God for the courage to change whatever needs to be changed.

Third, "living one day at a time and enjoying one moment at a time" has become a great way to approach life. There is nothing I can do to change my past and nothing I can do about something that has not happened yet. Instead, I can focus on the "here and now" and get the best of it.

Fourth, in Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus invite us to pick up our cross and follow Him. That is what I believe is the essence of "accepting hardship as the pathway to peace". This part of the prayer encourages us again to accept the challenges of life, to pick up our cross, and to find Jesus. Finally, the serenity prayer reaffirms my belief that when I surrender my life and my will to God, He makes all things right. That doesn't mean that I won't face challenging times, but it reassures me that even during those times, He is with me, and everything will be alright. Whatever is His plan for my life, it will be 100% much better than whatever I could plan for myself. I do not know what the future holds, but I know He holds the future. Therefore, I put all my trust in God as I look forward to the moment that I will be supremely happy with Him forever.