In our leadership meeting for Celebrate Recovery yesterday, our training coach challenged us to take a fresh look at the Serenity Prayer and gain a better appreciation for what we are requesting from God when we pray it. I thought I would post my personal perspective to the different parts of the prayer as a way to refresh my memory on what the prayer means to me.
The first part says "God, grant me the serenity..." To me, serenity is an inward confidence that God is in complete control of my life. Everything that happens to me is either engineered by God is allowed by Him to bring Him glory and to bring about good in my life. Serenity means I can have joy in the midst of any situation, good or bad, by resting in the Presence of Almighty God. Life is full of troubles, trials, heartaches, sadness, temptations, distresses, problems..., but my serenity tells me that those things are simply tools used by God to bring about peace in my life. Surrendering them to God is the first step to obtaining the Peace of God which Paul describes as surpassing all understanding. I cannot be anxious about anything.
Lastly, it is important for me to remember that this serenity is granted by God. It is not something I can generate myself through positive thinking or any other means. In the face of difficult circumstances in life, I must moment by moment trust God to provide the serenity by His power. I must remain in the Presence of God at all times, keeping my mind steadfastly focused on Him. Only then will I know true Peace.
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