Most AA meetings I’ve ever been to are opened with a group recitation of the Serenity Prayer. Here it is in its short form:
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
The purpose of this new book, “Dissecting the Prayers and Promises of AA (https://amzn.to/4eprIQ3) ”, is to pick apart these well-known prayers and tell folks reciting them where the lines came from and how they might figure into their search for a new life. Understanding the underlying meaning of these beautiful prayers allows them to blossom into deeper and more meaningful purpose in the life of the individual and the collective group as well. Here’s a sample “dissection” of just one line of this famous prayer:
“God, grant me…”
In these first three words, we establish pretty much our whole relationship with our Creator. We say out loud that He is our God and everything we have or ever will have comes from Him. We acknowledge that we are in need and unable to provide for ourselves. We identify our Heavenly Father as the source we need to make up for our shortcomings, and these things, whatever they may be, aren’t just invented by God, but GRANTED to us by Him specifically according to our needs. God gives us everything, and we need to be humble enough to admit it. Humility is perhaps the most important trait that we must develop if we are to gain and remain in true sobriety, and here it is in the first three words.
Along with humility, honesty is the absolute must-have key to moving away from our lives of isolation and confusion, both of which keep us returning to our drug of choice over and over again, even after periods of extended abstinence. The recognition that we cannot grant this inner peace to ourselves (or we already would have) demands a level of honesty regarding powerlessness that many in their active disease are not quite ready for. That might be why it is the first half of the first step. There’s really no good reason to move forward until humble powerlessness is admitted. For too long, we lie to ourselves and say we are the source of all our knowledge and emotional soothing. Thinking in this way is our false self fully on display. “I got this…” are very popular last words before a whopper of a relapse occurs.
The enemy loves to use our insecure minds to separate us from God in this way – twisting our thoughts and deceiving us into a life separate from our Father. In most people’s lives, that thought of complete self-sufficiency is our greatest downfall. These opening words to the Serenity Prayer break that stronghold and act like a mini-confession to God that He is in charge, and we are now ready to accept this universal fact.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13
(From Chapter 4 – The Serenity Prayer)
Our prayer is that this book will help bring the sobriety seeker back into God’s Word and add much-needed depth to their prayer life. This book will be an interesting read for all the Christians in your life, not just those in recovery.
Please buy and gift several copies soon! (https://amzn.to/4eprIQ3)
Order on Amazon (https://amzn.to/4eprIQ3)
Featured Resource
The statistics on drug and substance disorder are staggering. We've put together this FREE downloadable resource for your church to use to better understand what is happening in today's world.
Use this form to access the whitepaper.
By submitting this form you agree to receive updates and information from The Dunamis Initiative via email. We are careful with your information and do not redistribute it in any way.