Prayer for Wisdom: Solomon’s Prayer, Catholic Prayers for Wisdom and Guidance

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“If any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). The Bible’s most famous prayer for wisdom is King Solomon’s, and the Church counts wisdom as the first of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Below are Solomon’s prayer from the Book of Wisdom, short prayers for wisdom in decisions, for parents, students and leaders, and what Catholics mean by the gift of wisdom.

A short prayer for wisdom, written for this page:

Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom, enlighten my mind and guide my heart.
Help me to see things as God sees them,
to choose what is right, and to do it with love. Amen.

Solomon’s prayer for wisdom

When the young King Solomon was given the chance to ask God for anything, he asked not for riches or long life but for wisdom:

Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people, and discern between good and evil. For who shall be able to judge this people, thy people which is so numerous?

God was pleased with the request and gave him “a wise and understanding heart” (3 Kings 3:12, Douay-Rheims; 1 Kings in modern Bibles). The Book of Wisdom puts a longer prayer on Solomon’s lips, one of the most beautiful prayers for wisdom ever written:

God of my fathers, and Lord of mercy, who hast made all things with thy word,
And by thy wisdom hast appointed man, that he should have dominion over the creature that was made by thee,
That he should order the world according to equity and justice, and execute justice with an upright heart:
Give me wisdom, that sitteth by thy throne, and cast me not off from among thy children:
For I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid, a weak man, and of short time, and falling short of the understanding of judgment and laws.
For if one be perfect among the children of men, yet if thy wisdom be not with him, he shall be nothing regarded.

And a few verses later:

Send her out of thy holy heaven, and from the throne of thy majesty, that she may be with me, and may labour with me, that I may know what is acceptable with thee:
For she knoweth and understandeth all things, and shall lead me soberly in my works, and shall preserve me by her power.

Catholic prayers for wisdom

Written for this page.

For wisdom in a decision

Lord, you know the choice in front of me and everything that will follow from it.
I do not see clearly, so I ask for your light.
Quiet my fears and my selfish wishes, show me what pleases you,
send me good counsel, and give me the courage to follow your will once I know it. Amen.

For parents

Father, you have entrusted these children to us.
Give us wisdom to guide them, patience to listen to them,
firmness when they need correction and tenderness when they need comfort.
Help us to teach them, by our words and example, to love you above all things. Amen.

For students

Lord Jesus, Wisdom of the Father, bless my studies.
Help me to learn not only facts but the truth, and to use what I learn to serve others.
Make me humble about what I know and honest about what I do not. Amen.

Students can also pray St. Thomas Aquinas’s prayer before study; see the St. Thomas Aquinas prayer.

For leaders

God of justice, give those who lead our nation, our Church and our communities
the wisdom of Solomon: an understanding heart to discern between good and evil,
and the humility to seek the common good rather than their own glory. Amen.

To Mary, Seat of Wisdom

Holy Mary, Seat of Wisdom, you held in your arms the eternal Wisdom of God made flesh.
Pray for me, that I may welcome him as you did and keep his words in my heart. Amen.

The gift of wisdom

The Catechism lists wisdom first among the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, with understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord, gifts that “complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them” (CCC 1831). The list comes from the prophet Isaiah’s description of the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2–3). See the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of wisdom is more than cleverness or experience. It is a taste for the things of God, the ability to see all things in the light of God and to judge them by his love. As Proverbs says:

Because the Lord giveth wisdom: and out of his mouth cometh prudence and knowledge.

That is why the Church’s great prayer for wisdom is a prayer to the Holy Spirit. See the Come Holy Spirit prayer and the novena to the Holy Spirit.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best prayer for wisdom?

King Solomon’s prayer, “Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart” (3 Kings 3:9), and the longer prayer in Wisdom 9 are the classic biblical prayers for wisdom. Catholics also pray the Come Holy Spirit.

Which saint is the patron of wisdom?

Mary under her title Seat of Wisdom, the Holy Spirit’s gift of wisdom being the source. Students also invoke St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Joseph of Cupertino.

Does God answer prayers for wisdom?

St. James promises that he does: God “giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not” (James 1:5). Wisdom usually comes gradually, through prayer, Scripture, good counsel and experience.

More prayers

Texts and sources