5 Verses to Pray when You Want to Know God’s Will
Do you ever lie awake at night thinking, I don’t know what to do?
You have a decision to make, a problem to solve, or a path to pursue and you’ve prayed, oh how you’ve prayed but you don’t feel like God is giving you clear direction. You want to know God’s will!
So, you stare at the ceiling, weigh your options, plan to do more research in the morning, and pray again…
Father, I love you and I want to glorify you with my life. This choice is hard. There are so many possibilities and I have no idea what Your will for me is in the situation. Please help me. Guide me by Your Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.
And you try again, to get some rest.
Whew, I’ve been there. I’m guessing you’ve been there, too.
Because my most visited post is 5 Ways to Know if Something is from God which leads me to believe I’m not the only one who struggles sometimes with the specifics of God’s will.
So, I went digging to find verses that might help us know God’s “always” will . . . when choices are hard and life is confusing.
5 Verses to Pray when You Want to Know God’s Will
Proverbs 3:5–6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek His will in all you do,
and He will show you which path to take.
Father, forgive me. I’m quick to ask my friends for advice and quicker to worry; yet, I’m slow to turn to Your Word or come to You in prayer. Maybe trusting with all my heart is the problem. I’m sorry. I want to surrender myself completely and trust that Your will for me always comes from Your love. Thank you for using this time to remind me just how very much I need You. And I do need You, Lord. Help me, by the power of Your Spirit. Amen.
1 Timothy 2:3–4
This is good and pleases God our Savior,
who wants everyone to be saved and
to understand the truth.
Father, Your will for me is to know and love Your Son, Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Giver of Life eternal . . . Your gift so awesome and wonderful. I’m humbled that Your will for me above all else is that I will cherish Your gift of an eternity with You through Jesus. In light of forever, my current circumstances seem less monumental. Please by Your grace, help me keep an eternal perspective as I trust You with the details of my life. In Jesus name, Amen.
Romans 12:1–2
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
This is hard, Father. The world is always in my face and it’s tempting to just want to fit in. You tell me not to follow the behavior and customs of this world. It’s tough. I see friendships end and people hurt because they choose to stand on the truth of Your Word. Father, I need Your transforming power to change the way I think and act. Your Word says You will show me Your good, pleasing, and perfect will and you change my heart and mind and make me a new person. I love that! Please continue to work in me and draw me close. I love You, Lord and want to honor You with my life. Amen.
Hebrews 10:10
For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the
sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
Father, You make me holy through Jesus, setting me apart and showing me Your truth. Thank you! I am overwhelmed by your grace, mercy, and love. Humbled that You care so much about Your children that You willingly sacrificed Yourself for us. Forgive me, Father, for ever foolishly believing I’m doing a good job enough to be declared righteous on my own. I can’t. I need You. I need Jesus. I need Your Spirit. Help me surrender to You and live under the glorious grace You so generously pour into my life. Thank you, Amen.
Romans 8:27
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying,
for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
And Father, when I get it wrong . . . which I do much of the time, I’m so very thankful for Your Spirit who pleads for me. Who knows Your will and knows exactly what I need. Thank you. You will never leave me alone to wander in the dark. By Your grace poured out through Your Spirit, You fill me, provide for me, care for me, comfort me, and guide me. Thank you, Lord. Your loving presence meets my every need and with Your help, I surrender to Your will for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
May my prayer each day be to humbly surrender to God’s will trusting His will is best for my forever and for my today.
What’s your favorite verse to pray when you need to know God’s will?
The phrase that came to my mind as I read your post today is this: manner of living. If I run headlong into life each day without a thought for God and then suddenly throw on the brakes and ask for guidance in some specific area, I may not recognize His voice. Lord, teach us to listen for you all day, everyday!
And I know it’s not the point of the whole thing, but that sign you made is just so eye-catching!
Yes Deb, I do know the feeling of lying in bed with anxious thoughts running through my mind. This was a good message for me today. Thank you.
Patti
Thank you for hosting! I appreciate your thoughts this morning. I especially like Proverbs 3:5–6. That is a great scripture!
Love this post, Deb! It can be so hard when we are stuck at a crossroads and Scripture is so important during those times!
Thank you for featuring my post. It was hard to write. It’s hard to read some of the comments too. I always turn to Isaiah 40:28-31 when times are confusing or hard.
Romans 8:27 has often been such a comfort for me, especially when I don’t know which fork in the road to take and can’t seem to even get my own thoughts in order let alone express them to God. So grateful for a Perfect Advocate.
Thanks for featuring my article, I appreciate you!
Deb, the prayers you gave us here today are perfect, perfect, perfect! I’m going to save your post in my personal files so I can refer to it again and again. We can never stop praying for God to reveal His will for us to us, that we might follow His paths.
Blessings!
Will be sharing – your lists are substantial, practical, true, helpful and worth sharing! thanks, table friend. (Loved the crock pot soup, btw)
Great verses and prayers, Deb, for discerning God’s will!
This is an awesome post! Love that it’s a follow-up to another great post! Sharing!
Loved reading these verses. I usually can hear God pretty good, but for some darn reason lately, I have been struggling. The verses helped me get back on track. Thank you.
Deb- yes I really struggle with this. I find it’s hard for me to quit talking and just listen in silence. When He does give me an answer I want Him to reconfirm. Poor guy! Nothing is ever to my liking;)
These verses are so helpful!
Blessings to you!
Your lists and the accompanying Scriptures are so helpful when we stand at the crossroads or truly desire to follow the Lord and not or own inclinations.
Thank you, Deb, for this practical and spiritual post.
I need guidance on trying to find a decent place for my children to live.
May God bless you, as well.
I find that knowing God’s will for my everyday life is not difficult, I just have to follow His godly principles in His Word. It’s when having to make a decision that the uncertainty arises and I sometimes ask God for a sign or I fast and pray about it.
Hi Aida, I think you’re exactly right. It is patiently praying and waiting over those more difficult decisions . . . trusting that God will work in us and through us as we SEEK His will. God be with you and bless you!
Please pray for my husband Kevin Douglas and me his wife and our two children Elijah and Kerrigan he was forced to become a truck driver and be separated from his family.
I’m sorry, Korine. That sounds less than ideal for you all. I’ll be praying that God uses this difficult time for good in your lives. God bless you!