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Praying for Serenity

Serenity

On Easter Sunday, Pastor Justin preached the closing sermon in our Lent series: The Final Word. Spoiler alert, it’s Jesus. Jesus is the final word. I honestly think the entire Lent series built me up in my knowledge and faith to help me believe that by Easter. I mean…I know Jesus is the final word, but that hasn’t really had much of an impact on my day to day recently. As I’ve read through the Lent devotional, and heard each sermon preached about Christ’s last words on the cross, it’s started to sink deeper.

The serenity prayer has been a staple in my life since high school, when I started realizing how many things happen in life that I could not change. After my family experienced some unexpected trials, I remember going to a little Christian bookstore looking for a gift for my mom, and I found a decorative cross, with the serenity prayer printed on it. Only I didn’t know it was “The Serenity Prayer”—I just thought it was brilliant! “I need to pray these words everyday,” I remember thinking. My mom was touched by my gesture, I think. I’ve never asked her if she was already familiar with the prayer at that point or not, but I imagine so, since it’s a pretty common one.

I never knew that there was more to the prayer until this Sunday. This prayer puts things into perspective. When I pray like this, Lord whatever comes my way, give me grace, courage, and wisdom, help me to trust you and surrender to you, and keep my eyes fixed on eternity with you… my struggles and disappointments are held up against the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and I literally feel a weight lifted off of my shoulders. “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30) Jesus can say this, can invite us to come to him and to have a weight lifted off, because of the weight that he bore for us on the cross.

It is so tempting to pray for circumstances to change, to get mad at God when they don’t, and to hold a grudge of resentment rather than “accept with serenity” the things that cannot be changed. As Justin pointed out on Sunday, we all fail at the serenity prayer! We don’t live by grace. We don’t accept situations in our life with serenity. We don’t accept things that we can’t change at all. We think that we can do whatever we want whenever we want! We are foolish in our efforts, living lives of self-interest.

It is because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross that I can pray, I believe Lord, help my unbelief. The serenity prayer below is one that helps my unbelief. Because of its newness to me, every line from the second half stands out significantly to me at this point…but I think the last one is the one I appreciate most right now. All of this prayer leads to the final reason behind the prayer: “So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.” That’s why Jesus died on the cross, that’s why he rose again and everything is different—so that I could be reunited with my Creator. Living out of this reality, means praying this prayer, and prayers like it often, and expecting that the Holy Spirit will change my heart, and help me to live in this grace.

"God, give us 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."

 

se·ren·i·ty

səˈrenəd

noun

serenity the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.

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