Seeking Serenity by Trevor HudsonSýnishorn

The greatest promise

It has not been easy writing some of these meditations because I am aware that some of you are facing almost unbearable hardship. But I do know, from the witness of many courageous people around me, that we can experience God’s Presence in these moments of deep pain.

When we do, we can take small steps towards accepting our hardships as the pathway to peace. Each of these steps is like a candle burning in the dark. It does not take the darkness away, but it guides us through, along the pathway towards serenity.

It is the testimony of fellow pilgrims that encourages us to always affirm the reality of God’s Presence with us in times of difficulty. We can say to ourselves, “This painful situation I am in is where God wants to meet and bless me.” This simple affirmation can help us see every difficult situation as an opportunity for God’s goodness, love and competence to become more real for us.

So never forget the promise Jesus gave to His disciples, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (verse 5, NRSV). There is no greater promise!

The Serenity Prayer invites us to live each day, “trusting that God will make all things right”. These words focus on God’s promise that “all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom. 8:28, WEB). God wants to take everything that happens in our lives and use it for good, somewhere, sometime. Even painful things like an unwanted divorce, early retrenchment, the limitations of growing older, the loss of a loved one or a terrible sin, when we offer them to God, God can rework them into something good, and even beautiful.

Seeking Serenity

Take the affirmation above and repeat it slowly, deliberately and thoughtfully: “This situation I am in right now is where God wants to meet and bless me.”