The Serenity Prayer has been used in AA's 12-step program ever since. William Griffith Wilson, Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder, liked the prayer so much that he has it printed in its shortened form and distributed to members. The serenity prayer first appeared in print as part of a sermon in the 1944 Book of Prayers and Services for the Armed Forces and was officially published by Niebuhr in 1951. In 1943, Niebuhr used the prayer in a sermon at Heath Evangelical Union Church in Heath, Massachusetts. It was composed sometime between 19 and grew highly popular in the 30s and 40s across church groups without proper attribution and recognition to Niebuhr. Who Wrote the Serenity Prayer?Īs noted previously, Reinhold Niebuhr is often the attributed author of the Serenity Prayer. God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,Īnd the wisdom to know the difference. So that I may be reasonably happy in this lifeĪmen. Trusting that He will make all things right "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold." ~ Proverbs 3:13-14Īccepting hardships as the pathway to peace
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7 "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you he will never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." ~ Isaiah 26:3 Be inspired to live with serenity through faith in Christ with these Bible verses about giving God our anxieties. How often have you seen The Serenity Prayer on a card or on a magnet and simply read the inspirational words without fully grasping its message? It's a powerful prayer, and we truly need to believe in each phrase for its wisdom to enhance our lives. In the early 1940s, the group Alcoholics Anonymous began to use a shortened version of the Serenity Prayer in their twelve-step program. Written by Reinhold Neibuhr in the 1930s, this prayer has been widely used in sermons, Sunday school groups, and studies. This prayer is one of the most well-known today, especially the shortened version found below. But He did send Jesus, and those who accept His sacrifice are the only ones who have a real hope of being “reasonably happy” in this life and supremely happy in the next.The Serenity Prayer is a prayer asking God to grant acceptance, courage, and wisdom for things in our life we can't control.
If that were true, He would not have sent His Son to die for sin and reconcile the sinful world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). At the same time, the serenity prayer says God takes the sinful world as it is. Fretting and worrying our way through life indicates a lack of faith in our God and an unwillingness to surrender to His will and trust that He has all things under control. The serenity prayer speaks of a life lived in calm, courageous faith in God, reminiscent of Paul’s admonition to “be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6). It has been part of Alcoholics Anonymous ever since and has also been used in other twelve-step programs.īiblically speaking, there are some excellent thoughts expressed in this prayer and may very well be something Christians can pray and meditate on. The co-founder of AA, William Griffith Wilson, and his staff liked the serenity prayer and had it printed out in modified form and handed around. The first two lines are most familiar because of their association with Alcoholics Anonymous. That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change Ĭourage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.Īccepting hardships as the pathway to peace The text of the entire serenity prayer is as follows: Niebuhr himself did not publish the serenity prayer until 1951, in one of his magazine columns, although it had previously appeared under his name in 1944, when it was included in a Federal Council of Churches book for army chaplains and servicemen. There are various versions of the serenity prayer floating around with minor alterations. The serenity prayer is attributed to a Protestant theologian named Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971).
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