This devotional was written by Leslie Snyder
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. —Proverbs 3:5-6
Twentieth century theologian and philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr penned the following prayer, now commonly referred to as "The Serenity Prayer." It reads:
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;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen
Most people are familiar with the first four lines of this prayer as it has been made into wall hangings, bookmarks, prayer cards and other Christian resources. However, most are unfamiliar with the second stanza, which seems to carry the fuller meaning of the prayer. In a hurried world in which we keep a breathless pace, it feels almost sinful to stop and rest. Every day advertisers plead with us to purchase "security" for our futures. Investors encourage us to plan for our retirement and our children's education. Every day, thousands of hardworking employees are "downsized" or let go, resulting in chaos, instability and loss of confidence. How then are we to experience this type of "serenity" when our world seems out of control? Psalm 46:10 reads, "Be still and know that I am God."
A popular bumper sticker says it this way, "I know God and you ain't Him!" So often we attempt to orchestrate our lives in such a way that there is no room for God to interrupt with His own plans. When we follow this prayer, we create some margin, some sacred space for God to penetrate our over-scheduled, busy, restless lives. As you look over your calendar today, is there room for God to "interrupt"? The Scriptures declare, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
GOING DEEPER:
- What can I cut from my schedule today to allow for God to interrupt?
- Am I open to the sacred interruptions God brings my way?
5 comments:
I know that i am guilty of not leaving time open for interuption. If I am not at work, reading something, watching something, etc etc, the list goes on and on. How often am i still and listen? How often do I really pray and meditate? The real question for me is how to reverse all these years of conditioning and habits. I have used this analogy before, but I see my current habits as a bathtub full of red paint. I get these little snipits of wisdom I need to do to change myself, but thet are only small drops of white paint. Takes a long time to start to change the red color in the tub. Thats why I have to trust in the Lord, cause I certainly can't do it on my own.
Blessings
cas
This is a short and sweet reminder of my dependence on God. I dont allow God to interrupt for some of the same reasons that CAS stated. Definitely, need to be more intentional. I have to pray more to desire quiet time more than watching sports or looking for stuff that I dont need or worrying about the things I cant control.
CAS, thanks for your honesty. So, you have red paint in your bathtub? I can help if you need it, LOL!
I'm praying for us to make time for God to interrupt.
This is a short and sweet reminder of my dependence on God. I dont allow God to interrupt for some of the same reasons that CAS stated. Definitely, need to be more intentional. I have to pray more to desire quiet time more than watching sports or looking for stuff that I dont need or worrying about the things I cant control.
CAS, thanks for your honesty. So, you have red paint in your bathtub? I can help if you need it, LOL!
I'm praying for us to make time for God to interrupt.
I also have a problem with just standing still and listening. The trick is that we can't just do it every so often and partially expect to hear something. It has to be a daily occurance.
I personally enjoy peacefulness but somehow I seem to always have too many hobbies or things to do.
I need to simplify my life in order to make sure that
one of my fav christian songs uses the verse "be still and know that He is God" - that song really helps me stop and just feel a level of comfort. i just wish i could do it more often and not need the song to make me feel that way. but it was good to read this today - i needed this.
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