5 Prayers for Guidance and Wisdom

Deep down, you know you need prayers for guidance and wisdom. It’s easy to feel like you’ve got a handle on everything in your life. Everything’s going according to plan and going your way…until it isn’t. You’re faced with a challenge you can’t overcome, maybe one you can’t even understand. Maybe you feel depressed or uncertain, or maybe you just know you need to be more godly. 

I’ve felt that way. It reminds me of broken plays on the football field when my offensive line would let a guy through, a receiver would run the wrong route, or I’d just plain missed my read and the window that was there was now closed. I’d take off, scrambling for my life and hoping for a receiver to flash open. As bad as it could be, there was always the next play, the next series, the next game or the next season. 

But it’s much harder in real life. There seems to be no next play, no reset. You need prayers for guidance so you can know what to do or prayers for wisdom to understand your situation better and be at peace with it. 

 

Some Wisdom and Guidance God Has Given Me

You are not alone.

You’re doing something right already if you’re reading this and looking for prayers on guidance and wisdom. God assures us that He is our rock, always there with us, even when we are fearful and alone or full of doubt and uncertainty. Just as Jesus showed us in the Mount of Olives, we should call out to God when we’re in our moment of need.

God answers in many ways.

When we say prayer for guidance and wisdom, we must be open to listening for His answers in all of the forms that God speaks to us in. It could be a solution that wasn’t apparent before or God-given peace and understanding surrounding the matters that trouble you. It could be God speaking or working through a friend of yours. That’s why it’s so important to have times of reflection and journaling to hear and record everything that God is telling you. 

Remember to be open and patient.

You are a son or daughter of God speaking to your Creator. It is an act of surrender to let God lead the way. It might not come how you expect it or on your timeline, but it is a part of your story and God’s story. 

Reach out to others.  

The Bible tells us that “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matt. 18:20). Leaning on good male friends for strength and intentionally inviting God to be there with you is a powerful way to find peace and understanding. Your friends can share their unique perspectives or similar experiences, all with the presence of God guiding you. 

 

5 Prayers for Guidance and Wisdom

1. A prayer for learning God’s ways: “Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5)

 

2. God’s promise for those seeking wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

 

3. Commit yourself to placing your trust in God: “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:7-8)

 

4. A reminder that you don’t have the answers (or need to), but God does: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

 

5. God’s promise to instruct and counsel us: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” (Psalm 32:8-9)

 

Make Prayer a Part of Your Life—With Friends.

Make praying for guidance and wisdom a part of your everyday life with a group of guys committed to getting closer to God. Download the Playbook for Level 5 Friendship to get started.

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What does the best kind of friendship look like?

I’ve often talked about the friendship gap in men and how you can remove it in your life. Real friendship for guys seems to be at an all-time low.

We need to overcome the isolating influences of our technology-shaped and individualistic society.

Let’s go back to the original design. What about when everything was perfect? In the Garden of Eden, Adam was created without flaw and had not yet fallen from God—but still missing was something. “It is not good for man to be alone, God said” (Gen. 2:18). If a perfectly created man was designed for and needed friendship, how much more do we?

Our society can make you feel like a loser if you’re missing out on friendships. Or you might tell yourself that you’re doing just fine. You’re self-driven and have a huge network from work, your fantasy league, and a group of gamers. You may be Mr. Family, keeping busy with the kids, their sports and your house or yard…leaving no time for consistent friendship. But in reality, you’re missing something we’re all designed for, friendship.

 

The 5 Levels of Friendship

Level 1 – Casual Friendship –  A guy you’ve met and may or may not remember his name.

Level 2 – Basic Friendship – You act friendly, barely connect, and only talk about the usual surface-level stuff.

Level 3 – Good Friendship – You’re close enough to joke around.. There’s some trust, but also some caution so you’ll only open up a bit. He knows a few things about you, but nothing really deep or private.

Level 4 – Strong Friendship – You trust each other. You’d call the other guy in a 2 am crisis. You occasionally talk about meaningful parts of your life, but aren’t in touch consistently…

Sadly, some guys don’t have a Level 3 friend and many men don’t have a level 4 friend. That’s reflected in surveys that show 76% of men don’t have a close and trusted friend they can share anything with. Modern life can keep a guy digitally occupied with work and entertainment, but effectively isolated, lonely, and unknown. But realize this, Levels 3 and 4 are the building blocks to develop the highest level friendships – Level 5. 

Level 5 requires consistency and authenticity that are out of place and uncommon in our culture. Insecurity and fear make men uncomfortable going there. But it’s the kind of friendship that Jesus modeled. The kind of friendship we were designed to have.

 

Mike Woodruff is a friend, pastor, and author on friendship. He points out:

  • We are wired for friends.
  • Life is better with friends.
  • Good friends raise us up.
  • When it comes to friends, we must be intentional.

Here’s what that looks like as a level of friendship…

 

Level 5 – Deep Friendship

These guys talk about and establish trust. They add a purposeful commitment to meet and consistently connect. They talk about the important stuff in life, struggles, mess-ups and stresses, all while processing their future plans ahead of time, erasing secrets and praying for each other. Level 5 Friends grow in honesty and accountability as they pull each other closer to God.

Do you have any friendships that look like this? You can… but they don’t happen by accident.

A purposeful commitment to meet and consistently connect. For many men, sports, military and team-oriented businesses are the closest thing to replicating something like Level 5 Friendship. We had that consistent connection in the NFL.

Purposeful commitment? My closest friends and I take the same approach to our committed friendships that my NFL teams used to take to seeking a championship season. We commit. We’re loyal. We trust and we sacrifice to be honest and together.

Consistency? We had a game every Sunday. Every week, we put in the time and effort to prepare and excel. That made winning likely, and it’s the same with friendship.

Connect? If you didn’t communicate consistently and honestly about the reality we were facing, there was no way we were getting in the endzone.

 

Find Your Level 5 Friends

You can enjoy those bonds of camaraderie again. As followers of Jesus, we’re a team with crucial upcoming games. We have a mission—to honor and represent Jesus by living in His love and excellence. We can’t do it alone. We’re designed for teamwork.

That’s why I have a verb for Level 5 Friendship – huddling. Every week my closest out-of-town buddies and I huddle by Zoom for about an hour. Connecting frequently to process and pray over their lives together is a common trait of men from all walks of life who enjoy and benefit from Level 5 Friendship. It keeps us real, encouraged, and closer to each other and to God.

Want to get started in a deep friendship? Download my free gift, the Level 5 Friendship Playbook.  

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Why Investing in Deep Friendships is Key to Your Manhood

Here’s what I think: guys need to get shaken out of their routine. This packed, busy schedule of work, family, maybe a little tv or social media before you go to bed, doesn’t leave much, or any, time to connect with friends. When we open our eyes, we’re aware of our isolation and see the epidemic of loneliness in men. And deep down, we want (and need) real friendships. 

That’s why I’ve developed the concept of Level 5 Friendship, the ultimate tier of friendship. I’ll get into what that looks like through all of my work. Receive: The Way of Jesus for Men is a book I wrote that examines how men can RECEIVE their identity from Father God and use deep friendship as a catalyst for growth as men.

 

The “Lower Levels of Friendship”

Level 1 – Casual Friendship – This is a guy you’ve met and may or may not remember his name. 

Level 2 – Basic Friendship – You act friendly, barely connect, and speak about the usual stuff on the surface level only. 

Level 3 – Good Friendship – You’re close enough to joke around and open up a bit. There’s some trust…and some caution. He knows you, but nothing really deep or private. 

Why is it important to mention these lower tiers? It reminds us just how many friendships in modern life fail to develop. We are a networking culture. People float through an open room, trying to make as many important connections as possible, trying to say the right thing to gain favor and avoid the wrong thing so they aren’t rejected. 

I also bring these lower tiers up because some men never move past these levels. As men, we think that sharing our emotions is a sign of weakness. “We were taught for generations to focus on work, family and productivity. Don’t share what is really going on inside with other men,” says Michael Addis, a professor of psychology at Clark University and director of the Research Group on Men’s Well-Being.

We’re all too comfortable staying at the surface level and getting by. So how do you break out of these superficial levels and move into levels of depth and greater meaning? It’s going to take trust. 

 

The “Higher Level of Friendship”

Level 4 – Strong Friendship – You trust each other. You talk about meaningful parts of your life. You’re open, but not completely open. A lot of guys, myself included, wonder, “How do I know if I can trust this guy? Is he going to look down on me or use something I tell him against me later?”  

But instead of worrying about it, you can practice it and offer it.

 

Real, Deep, Intentional Level 5 Friendship

Ask your friend if he’d choose the type of loyal friendship you’re interested in that agrees to keep confidentiality and have each other’s back. You can build trust by following Jesus’ example of friendship Jesus. 

 

Choose humility and the best interests of others like Jesus.

He listened to His Father for when and what to say and do to bring out the best in others.

 

Be non-judgmental like Jesus.

Remember how He hung out with the outcast sinners and saved the shamed woman from a blood-thirsty, judgmental crowd?

 

Be honest like Jesus.

Love was His motive for always speaking truth and never deceiving anyone. He showed the scars of His wounds to His friend Thomas.

 

Be empathetic like Jesus.

Aim to understand other’s stories and heart. Remember how Jesus saw his friends’ pain when their brother Lazarus died. Jesus wept—even though He knew He’d raise him from the dead.

 

Ask for help like Jesus.

He didn’t go through it alone—He always relied on His Father. He brought His three closest friends, Peter, James and John to the garden. He shared His heartache and prayer with them in His darkest time. Share your burden with friends, and always turn to God for help.

 

Be selfless like Jesus.

He always served His disciples—and He gave up His life so we could live eternally.

 

Be dependable like Jesus.

He looked out for His followers, building strong connections and teaching us how to have real communities based on love. And now, He gives us His unconditional love.

 

None of us will do this perfectly. But by focusing on being like Jesus, we get out of self-centered ways and catalyze real friendships. 

Want to get started in a deep friendship? Download my free gift, the Level 5 Friendship Playbook.  

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