Prayer for Guidance is essentially to give up control so that God can guide us. We all know Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.” We pray prayers for guidance all the time but how many of us are willing to take this advice to heart? Are we willing to give up control so that God can guide us?
“Lean not on your own understanding.” It is a scary prospect and so contrary to the wisdom of the world. All our lives we are taught to believe what we can see, touch and experience and to make decisions based on that. The Bible tells us to do the exact opposite. We are to trust in God when nothing make sense, to listen to him when what he tells us to do seems to be akin to suicide (case in point, Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac). To not trust ourselves and our circumstances but lean on him (David, the anointed king, living as a fugitive because of Saul). But God will only truly lead us when we do just that. He won’t fight with us for control, he wants us to voluntarily surrender to him.
When we say prayer for guidance, we should do so with the realization that we cannot direct God to go where we want to go. He won’t guide us that way. It is scary to give up control, but when we trust in God, there is a deep reassurance in our hearts that He knows exactly what to do. It is a great relief to rely on God because we don’t have to worry anymore. We can resolutely say, “This is our God, forever and ever. He will guide us forever” (Psalm 48:14). His Spirit will always lead us to level ground so that we can stand in the broad places and not slip, even when the foundations are shaking all around us.