Susan Case Bonner's Blog

Prayer – Agent of Change Or Familiar Friend?

I love change. Really, I do. I see it as an opportunity – to experience life anew, to think in a leaner way, to get rid of things that weigh me down, to start fresh, to learn and grow.

Others hate change. They like the familiar, they gain confidence through repetition, they rely on constancy and faithfulness, they are content to enjoy life as it is.

So is prayer meant to be a change agent or a familiar friend? Does prayer change me and help me grow or does it anchor me (in a good way) to a life of faithfulness, security, and peace?

I think prayer does both – because prayer is all about interacting with the faithful God of the universe who desires us to grow and experience abundant life through him.

And that is the amazing part of prayer – it provides a time of reflection, a commitment to hard-learned lessons, a voicing of God-given hope. It gives us the opportunity to balance and center our lives between desired change and needed contentment.

It reminds me of the Serenity Prayer published by American theology professor Reinhold Niebuhr in 1951.

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.

Consider using the topics of change and contentment to focus your prayers and the prayers of your children this week.

May God bless your efforts to balance your life in Him!

Enjoy God forever!

Susan Case Bonner