When I was growing up, among the most frequent prayers I heard my parents use was a prayer for “traveling mercies.” I think I always knew what the phrase meant—an all-encompassing prayer for God’s watchful care and protection as we traveled.
I don’t hear (or say) the phrase as much these days, but I do still pray when I travel. After all, the Bible says, “You have not, because you ask not,” (James 4:2). So I ask. For protection. For timely travel. And more. Here are seven prayers you can use before and during a trip:
1) Based on Psalm 91:9-12, NIV
Lord, you are my refuge;
Most High, you are my dwelling place.
Let no harm overtake me,
no disaster come near me.
Command your angels concerning me
to guard me in all my ways;
let them carry me in their hands,
so that I will not so much as trip over a stone.
2) Based on Psalm 121:8, NIV
Lord, watch over our coming and going both now and forevermore.
3) Based on Psalm 139:7-10, NIV
God, thank you that I can go nowhere without your Spirit,
that I cannot evade your presence.
If I fly through the heavens, you are there;
if I drive through the deepest valley, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
4) Adapted from Saint Patrick’s Breastplate
Christ beside me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ within me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me.
Christ on my right hand,
Christ on my left,
Christ where I leave,
Christ where I arrive.
5) A prayer of Saint Brigit of Kildare, Revised
Lord, I place myself in your keeping as I travel.
I shall not be forgotten.
I shall not be destroyed.
I shall not be imprisoned.
I shall not be harassed by evil powers.
6) A Prayer by Bob Hostetler
Lord, you know what awaits us as we travel today. You know every bend and bump in the road, every sunbeam and cloud in the sky. So please make straight paths for our feet. Grant us safe and successful travel until we reach our destination. Save us from worry and stress. Make us patient and polite along the way. Make us kind and attentive to others, and please give us the blessing of somehow being helpful to someone else. And especially, Lord, make this an Emmaus trip, that we may travel in your company and, when we reach our destination, know you better than when we began, in Jesus’ name, amen.
7) A Prayer by Bob Hostetler
Lord Jesus,
be my vanguard,
rear guard,
and constant companion
as I travel.
Amen.
What about you? Do you have a go-to prayer for before you embark on a trip?
