God, Grant Me The Serenity. Prayer, Full Version. Meaning + Origin

The Serenity Prayer Full Version. God, Grant Me The Serenity – Meaning and Bible Verses. Origin And Audio. Full Text of The Acceptance Prayer

Here is The Serenity Prayer Full Version:

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.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next.

Amen

Serenity Prayer Audio

The Serenity Prayer. Meaning

The Serenity Prayer is a timeless text that has become popular due to its universal themes of peace, serenity, courage, and wisdom. The text is credited to the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and is often used as a source of comfort and inspiration in various spiritual, religious, and secular contexts. The modern Serenity Prayer states: „God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.“ This message of acceptance, courage, and wisdom has proven relevant and applicable to people of many different backgrounds and beliefs, making the Serenity Prayer a valuable tool for personal growth, resilience, and recovery.

What is the Serenity Prayer in the Bible?

The Serenity Prayer is not found in the Bible as a specific prayer with that title. However, its words are inspired by passages from the Bible, especially the book of Philippians 4:6-7. The verse says, „Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.“

A parallel between Serenity Prayer and Philippians 4:6-7 line by line

Here is a parallel comparison between the Serenity Prayer and Philippians 4:6-7:

Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Philippians 4:6-7:

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Serenity Prayer and Philippians 4:6-7 encourage individuals to trust in God and give up their anxieties and worries to Him. The Serenity Prayer focuses on accepting what cannot be changed, having the courage to change what can be changed, and having the wisdom to recognize the difference. Philippians 4:6-7 also emphasizes not being anxious and presenting our requests to God through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, to receive the peace of God that transcends all understanding.

Other parallels between the Serenity Prayer and the Bible Verses

Here are a few other parallels that we can draw between the Serenity Prayer and the Bible:

„God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.“

This line is similar to the passage in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which states that there is a time for everything and that we should accept that we cannot change certain things.

„The courage to change the things I can„

This line is similar to the passage in 2 Corinthians 5:17, which states that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, and that old things have passed away, and everything has become new.

„And the wisdom to know the difference.“

This line is similar to the passage in James 1:5, which states that anyone who lacks wisdom should ask God for it. Then God will give it to them.

Overall, the Serenity Prayer draws upon the themes of trust in God, acceptance of what cannot be changed, courage to change what can be changed, and wisdom to distinguish between the two, which are also present in various passages throughout the Bible.

The prayer of the Optina Elders

The Serenity Prayer is known as the prayer of the Optina Elders because they popularized it. The Optina Elders were a group of spiritual leaders in the Russian Orthodox Church in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were known for their wisdom, holiness, and ability to help people find peace and comfort in their struggles. The Serenity Prayer became associated with the Optina Elders because they often recited it or similar prayers during their spiritual counsel to people seeking help and guidance. The popularity of prayer spread and became widely used in various spiritual and therapeutic contexts. Today, the Serenity Prayer remains a well-known and widely used prayer, especially in the context of addiction recovery and 12-step programs.

How do occultists interpret the Serenity Prayer?

Some occultists may interpret the Serenity Prayer as a tool for self-empowerment and spiritual growth. They might see prayer as a way to tap into inner wisdom, cultivate courage and acceptance, and develop a sense of inner peace and serenity. However, this would likely be a minority view among occultists, and many may not be familiar with the Serenity Prayer. It is important to note that the views and beliefs of occultists can be highly diverse and varied, and there is no single „occultist interpretation“ of the Serenity Prayer or any other text or concept.

How can Serenity Prayer be used as a meditation?

The Serenity Prayer can be used as a meditation in several ways:

Recitation: Simply reciting the prayer, focusing on each line and its meaning, can be a form of meditation. Repeat the prayer several times, slowly and mindfully, allowing the words to sink in and bring peace and serenity.

Contemplation: Contemplate each line of the prayer in turn, reflecting on what each one means to you personally and how you can apply its teachings to your life. Take your time with each line and allow yourself to sink into a meditative state.

Visualization:

1. Visualize each prayer line as a scene in your mind.
2. Imagine yourself having the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
3. See yourself feeling peaceful and centered as you repeat the prayer.

Affirmations: Repeat each prayer line as an affirmation, emphasizing the positive qualities and traits you want to cultivate in yourself. Repeat the affirmations several times, slowly and mindfully, focusing on the feelings of peace, courage, and wisdom you want to embody.

Using the Serenity Prayer in these ways can serve as a powerful tool for meditation, helping to bring a sense of peace, clarity, and inner wisdom.

Famous works of literature

The Serenity Prayer has been widely quoted in various works of literature, including the following well-known examples:

• „Travels with Charley: In Search of America“ by John Steinbeck – In this book, Steinbeck references the Serenity Prayer in the context of his travels across the United States.
• „One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich“ by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – The Serenity Prayer is quoted in this novel, which depicts the harsh realities of life in a Soviet labor camp.
• „The Sun Also Rises“ by Ernest Hemingway – Hemingway references the Serenity Prayer in this novel, which is set among a group of American and British expatriates in Paris and Spain.
• „The Color Purple“ by Alice Walker – In this novel, the Serenity Prayer is referenced in the context of the protagonist’s spiritual journey.

These are just a few examples of the many works of literature that have quoted the Serenity Prayer. Its widespread use and popularity as a source of comfort and inspiration have made it a staple of popular culture and a commonly quoted text in works of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Which famous paintings depict the Serenity Prayer?

We are not aware of any specific paintings that depict the Serenity Prayer. However, its themes of peace, serenity, courage, and wisdom have inspired many artists, and these themes can be seen in many works of art. For example, paintings that depict serene landscapes, quiet moments of contemplation, or figures demonstrating courage in the face of adversity could reflect the ideals of the Serenity Prayer. Additionally, many artists have created works of art inspired by the 12-step recovery program, which often incorporates the Serenity Prayer. These works may depict imagery related to the prayer or its themes. Ultimately, the influence of the Serenity Prayer on the visual arts is indirect and can be seen in the themes and subjects that artists choose to depict.

What religion is the Serenity Prayer?

The Serenity Prayer is not specific to any one religion. It has been adopted by various religious and spiritual communities, including Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and others. The prayer’s focus on the importance of acceptance, courage, and wisdom and its themes of peace and serenity has made it appealing to people of different backgrounds and beliefs.

In particular, the Serenity Prayer has been widely used in the 12-step recovery program, a spiritual approach to recovery from addiction and other behavioral problems. The 12-step program is not affiliated with any particular religion, and participants come from various religious and spiritual backgrounds. The Serenity Prayer is considered a cornerstone of the program and is often recited as a form of spiritual support and guidance.

How should we use the Serenity Prayer?

The Serenity Prayer can be used in several ways, depending on your personal beliefs and needs:

• As a source of comfort and inspiration: The Serenity Prayer can be a source of comfort and inspiration during difficult times, helping to bring a sense of peace, clarity, and inner wisdom. By focusing on the importance of acceptance, courage, and wisdom, prayer can help you feel more centered and empowered in the face of adversity.
• As a form of meditation: The Serenity Prayer can be used as a form of meditation, helping to quiet the mind and bring a sense of peace and inner calm. We can repeat the prayer slowly and mindfully, focusing on its meaning and the feelings of serenity and wisdom it evokes.
• As a daily reminder: The Serenity Prayer can be used as a daily reminder of the values and qualities that you want to cultivate in your life. By repeating the prayer regularly, you can reinforce its teachings and keep its messages front and center in your thoughts and actions.
• As part of spiritual practice: For those who consider the Serenity Prayer to be a meaningful spiritual text, it can be used as a spiritual practice. They might repeat the prayer as part of a daily ritual or use it as spiritual reflection or contemplation.

Regardless of how you choose to use the Serenity Prayer, its focus on peace, serenity, courage, and wisdom can be a valuable tool for personal growth and well-being.

Can anyone use the Serenity Prayer?

Yes, the Serenity Prayer can be used by anyone, regardless of religious or spiritual beliefs. The prayer’s focus on acceptance, courage, and wisdom is universal and can be relevant to people of many different backgrounds and beliefs.

The prayer’s themes of peace, serenity, and inner strength are also widely applicable. They can benefit anyone facing challenges or seeking to cultivate greater peace and wisdom in their lives. Whether you seek comfort and inspiration during difficult times, the Serenity Prayer can be a valuable tool to help you along your journey. Also, it is good when looking for a way to quiet the mind and bring a sense of peace and inner calm or seek to reinforce positive values and qualities in your life.

Who founded the Serenity Prayer?

The origin of the Serenity Prayer is often credited to the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971). However, the exact origin of the prayer needs to be better documented, and its creation is a matter of debate among scholars.

According to one popular account, Niebuhr wrote the prayer in the early 1940s, and was first published in a religious magazine. The prayer gained widespread popularity in the mid-20th century and became associated with the 12-step recovery program. The authors developed the program around this time.

However, some scholars have challenged this account and argue that prayer may have existed in various forms before Niebuhr’s time. They point to the use of similar prayers in various religious and spiritual traditions, as well as evidence of the prayer’s use in the United States before Niebuhr’s time.

The Serenity Prayer has become a widely recognized and beloved text regardless of its exact origin. Its themes of peace, serenity, courage, and wisdom continue to resonate with people of many different backgrounds and beliefs.

Why is the Serenity Prayer so famous?

The Serenity Prayer has become popular due to its timeless themes of peace, serenity, courage, and wisdom. The prayer’s focus on accepting what we cannot change, having the courage to change what we can, and finding the wisdom to know the difference is simple and profound. This message has proven applicable and relevant to people of different backgrounds and beliefs, making prayer a valuable source of comfort, inspiration, and guidance in times of need.

Additionally, the Serenity Prayer’s widespread use in the 12-step recovery program has helped to increase its popularity and recognition further. Prayer is considered a cornerstone of the program. It is a critical component of the recovery process.

Overall, the Serenity Prayer’s universal themes and wide use in various communities and contexts have made it a famous and beloved text that continues to be widely used and appreciated.

What is the modern Serenity Prayer?

The modern Serenity Prayer is often credited to the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and is widely used in various spiritual, religious, and secular contexts. The most commonly quoted version of the prayer is:

„God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.“

This version of the Serenity Prayer has been widely adopted as a mantra for personal growth, resilience, and recovery. It is often recited as a form of meditation or as a source of comfort and inspiration during difficult times.

While the exact origin of the Serenity Prayer is the subject of some debate, its focus on the importance of acceptance, courage, and wisdom has made it a widely recognized and beloved text that continues to be widely used and appreciated.

This beloved prayer has helped countless people to experience peace in their lives. Following is the Serenity Prayer in its entirety:

Here is the full Serenity prayer also known as the AA prayer in the Catholic version. Members of Alcoholics Anonymous read it enthusiastically and it really helps them:

The Full Serenity Prayer (other variant)

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Tourage to change the things that can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time.
Enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardships as a pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.

Amen.

The meaning of Serenity Prayer – 2

Today we’re going to be looking at one of the most famous and inspiring prayers of the 20th century, The Serenity Prayer. We’ll be looking at what the Serenity Prayer means and how we can use this prayer within our daily lives.

1. God grant me the serenity

Serenity means the quality of the states of being calm and peaceful. It’s something we all searched and longed for and in an age of self-help and mindfulness. And that search for inner peace it’s something which everybody identifies with.

However there are ways in a practical sense that we can find peace: There are of course having a restful day, having a lying listening to some peaceful music; doing some sort of gentle exercise… But the peace that this prayer talks about is a gift. It is a gift from God the serenity prayer is about the gift of peace. So firstly the prayer talks about accepting the things I cannot change.

And I see this as the WALL of the FALL and I have a very heavy brick here:

• This is the weight of what we live in in the world.
• This is the things we cannot change.
• This is the fact that we age as humans.
• This is the country that we’re born in and the stability, and the wealth of that country.
• This the weights of the genetic code of our inheritance that sometimes weighs us down…
• And the WALL of the FALL is so many things.

The prayer talks about the serenity to accept these things; and this talks about how we navigate this. And really we have to keep coming to God. We have to keep having a dialogue with Him about how hard it is to live with this weight. And by the miracle of his spirits and by the blood of Jesus God has the ability to take this weight from our shoulders.

Now it’s true that sometimes it’s only momentarily before we feel it again. It’s true that it’s a weight that comes back and we kind of revisit very many times in our lives. But it’s a weight that ultimately will be off us forever when we enter eternity.

2. To accept the things I cannot change;

The second line of the prayer is about having the serenity to change the things that we can. And you know Jesus is the key of change and renewal that The Holy Spirit within our lives can change the way we feel about our age. He can change the way that we cope with the country and the situation that we’re born in. The Holy Spirit can change the way we manage and cope with our physical inheritance of a body.

And it’s very important that we do seek the Holy Spirit to highlight and let us know what are the things we can’t change and what are these things that we can change. To give us the wisdom to know the difference. Because sometimes we begin to accept the things that really God wants us to change and the weight of those. And sometimes we need to be given the Grace and the peace to accept things that maybe we can’t change.

3. Living one day at a time

It goes on to talk about time and in particular in the Western world time has become a really intense thing. If you stop for a moment and just look at your own watch ticking away and have a think about what time means to you, it happens something very important. Because:

• we’re always trying to hold back time;
• we’re always trying to stop time;
• we’re always try to make more of time or to find time;
• and yet the only way that actually we really find peace within this area of what it is to be a human and live on this planet is to connect with the timeless nest of heaven.

This is a stoped watch, not been working for 10-15 years and we have to remember that eternity. And god it’s a completely different realm:

• outside of this phase,
• outside of this universe that we live in,
• that it’s outside of time

and so it’s as we connect with heaven as we pause and there’s our hearts connect with the eternal that we will really experience the serenity in this area of our lives, that we crave.

And finally Jesus came to walk here on earth. And when he came he came in, he walked through the rubbish of anger and hatred, the rubbish of bloodshed and tears, and disease, and mistrust he came here and he walked through this, and what was it that enabled him to walk through the depth of that rubbish? What was it that Jesus carried in his heart and he was God incarnate. So he carried the reality of heaven in his heart. He carried the love of the Father, he carried this great divine love within his heart.

4. So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

And the Serenity Prayer reminds us that when we to invite Jesus into our hearts we carry this love the same amazing divine incredible love within our hearts. That it’s that love that empowers through in the hardest times. It’s that love that enables us to be reasonably happy in this life. And to be incredibly happy within the next, to look forwards with hope. Always even in our last days to look forwards with that hope,

So, to sum up I’ve given you four images which do encapsulate some of what this prayer talks about:

1. The wall of the fall and how that’s very very difficult for us to hold and how we need the God’s Spirit to continually help us with that
2. We’ve talked about the keys of change and renewal which the Holy Spirit can work within our lives and bring newness and change into the areas which we are struggling with.
3. We’ve talked about a timeless connection to heaven, how that enables us to have peace in our hearts
4. And lastly we’ve talked about the rubbish and how actually it’s God’s love. God’s and divine love within us that carries us through

So I hope that’s been helpful today. This prayer is an awesome prayer I encourage you to listen to it to use it within your only daily prayer time to share it and to give it to others. Especially to those who don’t yet know the depth of Christ’s love for them.

There will be a link to embedded prayer film beneath here and do go to that and take some time out of your day to listen through to this prayer again.

If you will take a few moments and think about what may be keeping you from enjoying your life in the present.

For example:

• Worries and fears about tomorrow;
• Disappointed hopes or broken dreams;
• Relationships that have gone bad or ended;
• A bad habit or addiction;
• Anger or grudges against someone.

Now answer the following questions and write the answers HERE or down in the comments:

Is there anything I can do to change the situation? If so, I pray for the courage to change what I can. If there is nothing I can do to change the situation and is completely out of my control, I pray for God to help me accept what I cannot do anything about.

And also, I will pray that He gives me wisdom. So I wanna know when to take action and when to let it go and leave it in his hands. I will trust him. And as I do, my soul shall be calm and untroubled.

I will experience His wonderful peace that transcends all understanding. This is serenity.

Important links to connected sources: What’s wrong with the Serenity Prayer? * Where is the Serenity Prayer in the Bible? * What religion is the Serenity Prayer?

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