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Prayer for Guidance
A prayer to ask God for clarity before a decision you cannot put off
When Solomon was offered anything he wanted, he asked for a hearing heart to tell right from wrong, and God gave him that and more. Most of us pray for guidance when a door is open and we cannot tell whether to walk through it. This prayer asks for wisdom, not a sign, and for the willingness to act once the answer comes. Say it as it is, or fill in the decision you are facing.
The prayer
Lord, I have a decision in front of me and I do not know what to do. I have thought about it from every side and I keep ending up in the same place. So I bring it to you, with everything I know and everything I do not.
Give me wisdom, the kind you promised to give without reproach to anyone who asks. Show me what matters in this choice and what only looks like it matters. If there is something I am not seeing, open my eyes to it; if there is something I am afraid to see, give me the courage to look.
Keep me from choosing only what is comfortable, and from waiting for a certainty you may not give. Where the way is clear, help me walk; where it stays unclear, help me trust that you go with me either way.
I put this decision in your hands, and I ask you to lead me. Amen.
In one breath
Lord, I do not know which way to go. Give me wisdom, show me what matters, and give me the courage to act once I see it. Amen.
Verses to hold on to
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
1 Kings 3:9 was the verse of the day on November 9, 2013. See that day
How to pray it
- Write the decision down in one sentence before you pray; vague requests get vague clarity.
- Ask for wisdom rather than a sign, and expect the answer to come through Scripture, counsel and circumstances more often than through a feeling.
- Tell God which option you already prefer, so the prayer is honest and not a request to bless a choice already made.
Make it your own
Say what you are living, in a few words, and receive this prayer written for your situation.
- Your words
- Your prayer
Questions
Other prayers
- Prayer for ProtectionFor your family, a journey, or a danger you can see coming
- Prayer for WorkFor a job you are looking for, a job that weighs on you, or one you want to do well
- Prayer for a Loved OneFor someone you love who is going through something you cannot fix for them
- Prayer for AnxietyFor the mind that will not stop, at 3 a.m. or in the middle of the day
- Prayer for My ChildrenA parent's prayer for a child of any age, from the cot to the grown-up who no longer calls
- Prayer When Faith Is WeakA prayer for the days when believing is hard and God feels far away
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