Christian Pure

Prayers for Direction in Life: For Guidance, Big Decisions and Losing Your Way

Christian Pure Team

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Summary

  • The 1928 Book of Common Prayer’s family prayer “For Guidance” (p. 595) asks for “the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do.”
  • Ten short prayers cover a big decision, losing your way, purpose, work, a relationship, waiting, fear, failed plans, a new beginning and the start of the day.
  • “Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings” and the Catholic “Direct, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions” translate the same Latin prayer, Actiones nostras.
  • Orthodox Christians hear Psalm 143, “show thou me the way that I should walk in,” in the Office of Grand Compline.
  • Scripture records Gideon’s fleece (Judges 6:36–40) and the lots cast for Matthias (Acts 1:24–26), and also Jesus refusing to give a sign on demand (Matthew 12:38–39).

When the way is unclear: “Lord, I do not know which way to go. Show me the next right step, give me the sense to see it and the courage to take it, and keep me close to you whatever I choose. Amen.” The Book of Common Prayer has an older one, “For Guidance.” The Book of Common Prayer’s prayer for guidance The Episcopal Church’s 1928 prayer book prints this among its family prayers. Its opening borrows from two psalms:…

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Bibliography (Click to show)
  • Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1611), text of Project Gutenberg eBook no. 10 (Deuteronomy 18:10–11; Joshua 1:9; Judges 6:36–40; Psalm 25:4, 9; 27:14; 36:9; 119:105, 176; 143:8; Proverbs 3:5–6; 15:22; 16:9; Isaiah 43:19; Micah 6:8; Matthew 12:38–39; Acts 1:24–26; 15:7, 28; Colossians 3:23; James 1:5). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
  • The Book of Common Prayer (Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.), Standard Book of 1928. Prayers, Collects, “Direct us, O Lord,” p. 49; Family Prayer, “For Guidance,” p. 595. PDF facsimile: https://www.artisticdailyprayers.org/uploads/3/0/1/6/30164961/bcp1928std.pdf
  • A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, prepared and published by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1888. Morning Prayers, “Angel of God,” p. 54; The Litany of the Saints, “Actiones nostras,” p. 269. https://archive.org/details/AManualOfPrayers1888
  • Hapgood, Isabel Florence, trans. Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic (Greco-Russian) Church. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1906. The Office of Grand Compline, Psalm 143, pp. 158–159. https://www.ponomar.net/data/hapgood.pdf
  • Palmer, William. Origines Liturgicae, or Antiquities of the English Ritual, 1832. Chapter on the collects, with “Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings” beside Actiones nostras. Project Canterbury: https://anglicanhistory.org/palmer/palmer26.html

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