God Grant Me....

A friend sent me a photo of the serenity prayer recently.  I just recently completed 22 years of being clean from drugs and alcohol, thanks the the Lord Jesus Christ.  I am well familiar with the first few lines of this insightful prayer, but the rest not quite as much.  I felt compelled to share it here, and a newer "version" as well.  There are so many things going on around us....crazy, evil, hurried, hate-filled, average....all types of fears assail us as we see the rise of hate, terrorism and division. Everyday life comes with its own challenges and difficulties.   Physical battles, spiritual battles.  I'm thinking a little serenity and a lot of trust in Jesus would go a long way right now.  So I include these two prayers, hope you enjoy and meditate on them, and that they bring you a new peace, and renewing your focus on and trust in the Lord.  He is always on the throne!

The Serenity Prayer is the common name for a prayer authored by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). The best-known form is: 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. (from Wikipedia)

God, give me grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a 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.

And for a new, slightly humorous take on this old favorite, I go to the Jesuit Post.org and find a great version that takes us in another direction. I think its pretty right on!

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the people I cannot change,

which is pretty much everyone,

since I’m clearly not you, God.

At least not the last time I checked.

And while you’re at it, God,

please give me the courage

to change what I need to change about myself,

which is frankly a lot, since, once again,

I’m not you, which means I’m not perfect.

It’s better for me to focus on changing myself

than to worry about changing other people,

who, as you’ll no doubt remember me saying,

I can’t change anyway.

Finally, give me the wisdom to just shut up

whenever I think that I’m clearly smarter

than everyone else in the room,

that no one knows what they’re talking about except me,

or that I alone have all the answers.

Basically, God,

grant me the wisdom

to remember that I’m

not you.

Amen

James Martin, SJ

Two great prayers.  Living in peace with the circumstances of the world, and peace with other people around us.  Giving everything and everyone over the our all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful, loving Father.  Can you just imagine living each moment like that, entering into each encounter at peace because my focus is not fearful of circumstances or problems, not on the faults (and these may only be in my mind) of others, but on God.  

Lord, I ask for You to make these prayers, or something like them part of us each and everyday so that we may live with at peace with You, our circumstances, our world and the people we interact with.  Let Your wisdom guide us into Your peace and let this peacefulness be a conduit of Your love. Thank You for the divine talent You gave these men in writing these beautiful prayers.  They are an inspiration.  Truly, give us wisdom and courage to change what we can and should, but also let us remember Your plan may not always be what we would choose....for us or for others.  

James 1:5-6  If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.  He will not rebuke you for asking.  But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone, Do not waver, for a person with divided. loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  

Proverbs 2:2-3  Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.  Cry out for insight and ask for understanding.

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.