It may be the most popular prayer of our modern era. Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971), a theology professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, preached a sermon at the Heath Union Church in Massachusetts in 1943. He concluded the sermon by praying what has become known as the Serenity Prayer. He had prayed variations of it in public before, but this time it really seemed to stick.
The prayer circulated quickly. An emerging twelve-step recovery program called Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), featured it prominently in its literature. It was included in a book of prayers for US Army chaplains for use during World War II. Today, the Serenity Prayer has become ubiquitous in popular culture.
The genius of the prayer is its ability to distill three essential truths with profound simplicity. The first principle, “Give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,” serves as an antidote to chronic worry and anxiety. The middle section, “courage to change the things which should be changed” shifts from serene acceptance to resolute reform. The last portion, “and the wisdom to know the difference,” asks for God’s discernment to know when to practice acceptance versus courage.