Prayer for Guidance

A prayer for guidance when a decision has to be made and the right answer is not obvious. With a note on what Christians have historically expected an answer to look like.

The prayer

Lord, I have a decision to make and I cannot see round the corner of it. You know what I actually want, underneath the reasons I have been giving. Sort the wanting from the wisdom. Show me what is true about each road, including the parts I would rather not look at. Give me counsel through the people who know me, and the humility to hear it. Where You will not show me the whole path, give me enough light for the next step and the nerve to take it. And if I choose wrongly in good faith, meet me there too. Amen.

History & tradition

The tradition is markedly sober about this. Scripture promises light for a step — 'a lamp unto my feet' — rather than a map. The Ignatian practice of discernment developed as a whole method for exactly this problem, and it works mostly by noticing where peace settles rather than by waiting for a sign. Proverbs adds the least mystical instruction in the Bible: get counsel, from more than one person.

When to pray it

Pray it before you decide, not after you have decided and want it blessed. Pray it more than once, over days if you have days. And take the counsel step literally — say the decision out loud to somebody who will tell you the truth.

Three short alternatives

Proverbs 3:5-6 as prayer

'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.'

The Ignatian question

Imagine yourself a year down each road. Which one can you thank God for? That is often the answer, and it usually arrives before the reasoning does.

Nine words

'Lord, show me the next step. I will take it.' The second half is the part that makes it a prayer rather than a wish.

Pair it with daily practice

See our verses about guidance and verses about wisdom. When a decision needs a person rather than a page, you can talk it through with a verified pastor.

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." — Proverbs 3:6 (KJV)

Other prayers

• Morning Prayer
• Evening Prayer
• The Serenity Prayer
• The Jesus Prayer
• Prayer for Anxiety
• Prayer for Healing
• Prayer for Strength
• Prayer for Protection
• Prayer Before Surgery
• Night Prayer
• Prayer Before Meals
• The Prayer of St Francis
• The Apostles' Creed
• The Hail Mary