There is a Christian prayer that has given strength and comfort to millions.
The prayer is simply known as the Serenity Prayer. You may has read it in a devotional book, seen it on a plaque or card, or even heard it in a sermon.
While the origin of the prayer in unknown, it has been attributed to minister and teacher Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971). It is thought he used the opening lines of the prayer in a chapel lecture (1934) and later in a sermon.
A colleague, Dr. Howard Robbins, asked permission to use the prayer in a devotional book. In 1941, the first part of the prayer was included in a local newspaper and came to the attention of one of the 12-step recovery groups, who printed it on cards and included it in all their correspondence. Soon, it was recited at the opening of their meetings. It is one of the resources of Celebrate Recovery.
You may have read the opening lines in cards, but the rest of the prayer is not as well-known. Here is the prayer that has been memorized and lifted up daily:
“God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that 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. – Reinhold Niebuhr.
I take a moment to thank everyone in Graham County for their prayers for my family. My father, Leonard T. Reece, passed away after his journey of 91 years. He was a veteran of the Korean Conflict and told me he served with a number of men from Graham County, which included his Sergeant, Posey Crisp, of Stecoah. I was humbled and strengthened by the prayers of the people of Graham County.
Thank you and God bless you!
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is the pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church.