| Our Christian history and tradition is just full of gold: stories, people, traditions and prayers that have inspired and nurtured peoples’ faith and helped them on their walk with Jesus through life. Here is one such prayer…. |
 You might say this is THE PRAYER. This is the one that Jesus taught his followers when they asked him to teach them to pray. This prayer is a window into what is most concerning to Jesus. In Jesus teaching he is not just concerned with what words to pray, but how to pray. In Matthew 6, Jesus sets out that prayer is to be done in secret. Our main reason for prayer is to connect with our Heavenly Father, therefore there best place to do it is in a secret place, where it is just you and God, one else. Now that might be a room or a chair, but also know that we can pray where ever we are and what ever we are doing in the secret of our thoughts and hearts. The words of the prayer are still important though. In this prayer we see that Jesus invites us to first worship God and acknowledge His identity as our Holy Heavenly Father. He is our father who provides and protects us. He is heavenly in contrast to our earthly dads, and therefore greater in power, love and wisdom. And He is Holy, He is other and different, spotless and perfect. A God worthy of our praise. The next words are profound, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done.” Jesus teaches us that our prayers are to be about what God wants and wills. We believe God is perfect in knowledge, wisdom and love, therefore who better to have their will be done? Our prayers are to be about seeking what God wants to see happen in our lives and the world. In this we have to acknowledge that there are times when our agenda is not the same as His. Then the rest of the prayer sets out what God’s agenda is. We find that he wishes all people to have their bodily needs met. We find He wants people to be forgiven and reconciled to Him and one another. And we find that He wants people to be free from Evil and suffering. These three are not the full scope of His will, but they are the broad brush strokes. These three things therefore become a guide for our own prayers, as we discern what God might want and will for our lives: How would he like to meet your needs today? Who would He like you to reconcile with? Where is there suffering and temptation that need to be dealt with? In conclusion this prayer sets out the Good News. We have a Good Father who loves us and wishes to look after us and take care of our needs. He seeks to establish His Kingdom, His will in the world and our lives. And that means acting in justice to see Evil and suffering dealt with. In means making away for reconciliation so deep loving relationships can form between humans who would otherwise try to harm one another. When we pray this prayer in our secret place, we are praying the Good News over our lives and world! |
This prayer is taken from St Augustine of Hippo’s book Confessions. Not our St Augustine, but the North African theologian of the 5th Century. He was a person who constantly sought after truth. This led him to unique insights into his own, as well as human character, and the culture and philosophy of his day, and Scripture and God. Much of Western theology and wider culture can find its heritage in St Augustine’s teachings.
The Prayer of Serenity was written sometime during the early 20th Century. It is often attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and was taken up by the AA movement as their prayer.