If you are at crossroads or you have seen that you need God’s wisdom and guidance in your life or before you take a decision, you are where you really need to be. Here’s a short prayer for guidance and wisdom today:
Father, I need Your wisdom and guidance today. Show me the path to take, lead me through it as well, and help me to be sensitive to Your Spirit’s leading in my heart. I refuse to be led by my will, lead me through Your Spirit and into Your will. Amen.
There are so many reasons why we will need to pray for guidance and wisdom. And for me, one of the biggest reasons for needing the wisdom of God and His direction before taking any decision is how an option or a path may look good but still be bad.
The Bible in Proverbs 14:12 says
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
I have never been more scared of a scripture than that one. How something can be so good or can look good – I mean, what’s wrong with moving to a new city or getting a job that pays you higher?
Seeing how these decisions have ruined people and cut short destinies, it has become really important to seek the face of God before making any decisions.
When it comes to taking decisions and needing God’s guidance and wisdom, one of the best scriptures I know is 1 Samuel 30.
David and his men had just returned from fighting only to discover that their wives and children had been taken captives. His men got so angry and they began to deliberate whether to kill him.
In verse 8, the Bible says;
And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
This is the first point when it comes to seeking direction and guidance from God – inquiring.
A lost culture among believers today is inquiring. Believers do not ask God before taking a step. They only want to involve God when the step has been taken and they have run into trouble.
The cue from David is, before any move is made, what is God saying. Personally, I will recommend asking like Gideon did in Judges 6:36-40.
Even after the Angel of the Lord had told Gideon he was sent to deliver the children of Israel from the hands of the Midianites and despite all the proofs and markings of the encounter, Gideon still wanted to be sure.
He put a wool fleece on the ground twice to see if God would make it wet with dew while the ground stayed dry, and then the reverse, to confirm he would save Israel. God patiently gave him these signs.
Some may argue that this is arrogance or unbelief but God sees your heart and if your motive is to be in the will of God, He will show you a sign.
I remember during my college days something happened. I was in the polytechnic and in my 3rd year I was struggling. My grades were terribly bad and for the first time in my life, I genuinely felt I will fail and that was a bad look for me especially because I was an executive in my campus fellowship.
It was at this time that I saw I got admitted into the Federal University of Technology, Minna. This was my dream school before I went to the polytechnic. Immediately, I said to myself “God has provided a way of escape for me.”
Next day, I went to my class to say goodbye to my coursemates. I was ready to leave. I even started to give out my course materials to coursemates who could not afford it.
When I got home, I got a casual thought – have you prayed about this decision? I wondered. Why should I pray about it? I am struggling here and then I got admission to start afresh on a new slate. This is God working.
Was He?
That question kept brewing in my heart and then I became confused. So I went to pray that night and I simply asked God, show me Your will for my academic pursuit.
I prayed and asked God for a sign – to either stay or leave for the university in Minna – and I had a dream where I was entering the gate of the polytechnic. I woke up and I was like nah my mind is simply messing with me and sending me pictures.
So I prayed again. I prayed for awhile, same prayer point – Lord, give me a sign to either stay here or go to the university before I slept – and when I slept, I had another dream, this time I was entering the polytechnic through the second gate.
At this point, I was angry – I don’t even remember why. Because truly I wanted to move to the university. It was a fresh start, it was 10 minutes to my parent’s house, it was in the city I was born in so I will be back with friends and family.
However, I was sure that God was leading me to stay at the polytechnic. But why? Even on paper, a university degree is better than the diploma the polytechnic will give to me.
I now told God, I am going to sleep one more time and I want him to give me the final sign. This time I wasn’t even praying. I just said “God, I will sleep again and whatever sign you give me would be final.”
When I slept, I had another dream. This time, my mom took me by hand to the house of the Head of Department for my course, Computer Science. In reality, I have never been to the man’s house, I have no idea where he lives, even till date.
Waking up, I knew staying in the polytechnic was God’s will for me.
If you were God, I am sure you would have been offended by the second time I asked for a sign. But that is not God. When He sees you really want to know and do His will, He is elaborate with His speaking and leadings.
Below are 10 prayer points to pray when you want God to guide you and give you His wisdom.
10 Prayers for Guidance and Wisdom
1. Father guide my steps today. Keep me from walking in paths that You have not ordained for me. Help me to stay in Your will for my life today (Proverbs 3:5-6)
2. Father I need Your wisdom to make the right decisions. There are options before me and different paths to take. Lord, I do not want to go with just anyone or with the one that my heart seems to be pointing towards. So today, I asked that you give me Your wisdom (James 1:5)
3. Father I need Your guidance to make the right decision. There are things before me and different directions that I can take. Lord, I do not want to go with the one that seems easier or the one that I want the most. So today, I ask that You guide me and help me to know what is right.
4. Father I need Your wisdom concerning the decisions that I have to make. There are different options before me and I do not want to make the wrong choice. Lord, I do not want to depend on my own understanding or go with what my heart is telling me. So today, I ask that You give me Your wisdom and lead me in the right direction.
5. Father I need Your help to know which path to take. There are different paths before me and I do not know which one is the right one. Lord, I do not want to choose a path just because it looks good or because other people think I should take it. So today, I ask that You give me Your wisdom and show me where to go.
6. Father I need Your wisdom to know what is right for me. There are different things that I can choose and I do not want to choose based on my feelings. Lord, I do not want to go with what I want if it is not what You want for me. So today, I ask that You give me Your wisdom and help me to make the right choice.
7. Father I need Your guidance in the decisions before me. There are things I am thinking about and different choices that I can make. Lord, I do not want to make a decision because of what I see or because of what other people are saying. So today, I ask that You guide me and give me Your wisdom.
8. Father I need Your wisdom to know the next step to take. There are different ways that I can go and I do not want to go in the wrong direction. Lord, I do not want to follow what feels right to me if it is not the way You want me to go. So today, I ask that You give me Your wisdom and show me what to do.
9. Father I need Your wisdom to make the right choices in my life. There are different options before me and I do not always know which one to choose. Lord, I do not want to go with just anything or choose something because my heart wants it. So today, I ask that You give me Your wisdom and help me to choose what is right.