One of the most common prayers is the prayer for guidance: asking God to show us what path to take, what step to take and when to take it. Most seek God’s guidance when there appears to be a significant risk of loss associated with choosing the path or step to take. Some decisions are irreversible or cannot be reversed without significant, and perhaps ongoing, cost.

There are times when we choose paths and steps where the decision appears to be obvious and there is no apparent risk of loss. When we make that choice most feel little need to seek God’s guidance, yet our need for God’s guidance is no less for those decisions that appear easy to us than for those that appear difficult. The costliest decisions we make may very well be to ones that appear to be the most obvious to us and we feel most capable of making without any assistance.

God knows how difficult it is for us to perceive the truth we need to perceive to choose the right paths and steps in our lives. In his great love for us he has provided for ongoing guidance.

What could be better for a person needing guidance than a guide? Especially one that clearly perceives truth and also knows things to come?

When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. (John 16:13)

God sends the Spirit of truth to all those who ask God to send him. The ministry of the Spirit of truth will be effective for those who will consistently and unceasingly follow his guidance. Here is the prayer for the guidance of the Spirit of truth:

Father, I thank you in the name of Jesus that you send your Spirit of truth to guide and lead us into all the truth and show us things to come. Please send your Spirit to 

• • guide us and lead us into all the truth and 

  • show us things to come, 

  • fill us with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding 

  • so we lead a life worthy of you, 

  • fully pleasing to you, 

  • bearing fruit in every good work, and 

  • increasing in our knowledge of you.

WARNING: The ministry of the Spirit of truth comes with God’s warning that we must not believe every spirit, but must test the spirit to confirm that it comes from God. See Confirming the Spirit of Truth.

It is worth taking a moment to note the benefits of this prayer for the guidance of the Spirit of truth.

• He guides us into ALL truth. This helps us discern the difference between truth and error. This helps reduce loss due to errors in perception.

• He shows us things to come. This helps us take paths that are good for the things to come as well as for what is happening now.

• When the Spirit of truth guides us to perceive the truth of God’s will we benefit greatly. The best path for us to take is the one that conforms to God’s will: one that causes us to interact with God and others according to God’s will and experience the full fruitfulness of God’s will for our lives.

• The Spirit of truth guides us to live a life worthy of God: a life that measures up to the standard God has set for us.

• He guides us so we are fully pleasing to God. Being fully pleasing to God is way more than just pleasing God - being fully pleasing to God is fully the most beneficial thing possible for us.

• He guides us so we are fruitful in every good work. We - and those around us - live from the fruit produced in our lives. Being fruitful in good fruit helps establish a prosperous future for ourselves and for those around us.

• The Spirit of truth guides us and leads us into knowing God more completely. Our union with God is everything. Increasing our knowledge of God increases our union with him. Increasing our knowledge of God increases our awareness of how great his love for us is and helps us to grow in fellowship with him.

God also provides guidance to us through his Word. The book of Proverbs is specifically written to help guide us. It is filled with descriptions of good paths, bad paths, and path choices. It also helps to guide us to the good paths. Proverbs 1:5 states one of the benefits of reading Proverbs.

A wise person will listen and continue to learn, and an understanding person will gain direction. (Proverbs 1:5)

The Amplified version of 1:5 says that the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly].

My son, if you will receive my words, and lay up my commandments with you; So that you incline your ear unto wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yea, if you cry after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures;... Then shall you understand righteousness, and justice, and equity; yes, every good path...That you may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. (Proverbs 2:1-4,9,20)

Successful prayer for guidance asks God to send his Spirit to guide us a lead us into all the truth and show us things to come, follows the guide of the Spirit of truth, and sows the Word of God into our heart - especially Proverbs - to produce the fruit of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding we need to make good path and step decisions.