7 Prayers For Travel

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The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121:8)

Summer is the season for travel. Vacations, weddings, family reunions, and adventures call us from shore to shore to enjoy and explore the world in all its beauty. Days are filled with planning and packing in preparation for the events. Expectations are high, and kids squeal with delightful anticipation.

There’s much to do to prepare, but there might be one important thing you’re forgetting: don’t neglect to include prayer in your trip planning.

Prayer is inviting God into the process. God gave the earth to mankind and put us in charge. He doesn’t take back by force what He has delegated to us. He’s not a micromanager, yet He is keenly interested in the details of our lives. He responds to our requests for His wisdom and His help.

“How, and when?” you might ask. When we ask! The Bible is clear: “You have not, because you ask not (James 4:2).” God’s help is not to be presumed upon unless we go to the trouble of asking Him. He seeks relationship with us, and the doorway to relationship is communication. We communicate our needs, and He responds.

One doesn’t have to look hard to find ways to need Him every day! If travel is around the bend for you, you’ll certainly need Him. So many things can go awry on trips. Accidents arise, relationships get strained, challenges materialize, junk just happens. Pray! Pray in advance of your travel, asking God to join you in your journey. He’s all about relationship. This is real life with God: He’s the driver; you’re the passenger. He’s the pilot; you’re the co-pilot.

So before you venture on your trip, whether a simple hike, a “three hour tour,” or an exotic vacation, prepare in advance – Pre-Prayer!

A Prayer for Fearless Travel

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Is fear creeping into your travel plans? Anxiety over flying, terrorist threats, concerns over the things and people you leave behind, and many other apprehensions can keep us from enjoying opportunities for joy in our travel. What do we do with these fears? We either let them inhibit us from experiencing life to the full or we lay them at the feet of Jesus.

Father,

I admit I am allowing fear to inhibit me from fully living. You have told me to not fear. I want to obey Your mandate to live fearlessly, but I need Your help. Show me how it’s possible by transforming me from the inside out through Your Word that builds my faith. Let me taste Your love that drives all fear away. Help me win the battle first in my mind by taking every thought captive and making my thoughts obey You. Fear, be gone! I refuse to fear!

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

A Prayer to Get Along as We Go Along

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

Nothing ruins the fun of a vacation more than bickering. Kids at each other’s throats in the backseat can make a long, hot drive unbearable. But parents fighting in the front seat is all that much more noxious. Avoiding strife is simple, but not easy: Simple, because the antidote to strife is overlooking offense. It is voluntary naiveté, determining to look the other way when confronted with anything that could offend you. Love, as defined in 1 Corinthians 13, “Is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” That is the path to a no-fail vacation. Let love drive! Let love spring from everything you say! Love never fails.

God,

This is where I fall so often; I respond in knee-jerk fashion every time someone brushes up against my sensitive nerves. Oh, God, heal my sensitive nerves! Grow me up in grace and love! Forgive me for being the person others have to tiptoe around! Make me more like You! I choose to pre-forgive every person on this trip before I traverse one step! I choose to have joy moment by moment. I choose love over offense, forgiveness over bitterness. I choose to laugh at little things that would otherwise irritate me! With Your great help, I will overcome every obstacle in my life; I will learn to love!

Amen!

A Prayer for a Supernatural GPS

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He leads me beside peaceful streams…He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. (Psalm 23:2,3)

Since the invention of the GPS, many of us hardly know how to get around without it. In days gone by, we had to use our sense of direction and our wits to find our way around new places. Now we hardly know our way around our own home towns, relying as we do on our devises to devise our pathways. How about relying on God to plan our trips? How about bringing Him into the planning process, asking Him for His guidance for our journey, making it one that will bear fruit, give us joy, and create lasting memories?

Lord,

Your plans are far better than anything I could possibly map out! You know Your way around this planet, because You created this planet. So be my GPS, Father! Lead me every step of this trip. Guide me along the way with Your loving hand, and show me which way to turn. Help me to follow You, keeping an open heart and a listening ear to Your directives, rerouting me whenever necessary to get me back on the path that will yield the most fruit in my life and for Your Kingdom.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Inviting God into the Details

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The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.(Psalm 37:23 NLT)

As little drops of water make the mighty ocean, so the little details of a trip make a memorable vacation. Some details we can foresee, others we cannot control. That’s why inviting God into the details – even the minutia – will cushion the whole experience with His peace. It doesn’t mean everything will go perfectly smooth; it’s not magic. It’s a walk of trust that with each challenge that comes your way, the Lord’s hand will be there to guard and to guide. Yes, prayer changes things, but even more than that, prayer changes us.

Father,

Please direct the details of this trip. May Your wisdom rest upon us as we do our planning, and give us hearts to trust in You when plans go awry. Thank You for the delight You have, not only in me as Your child, but in the details of my life as well. Jesus, You paid a high price for me to access abundant living. I am determined to not let the price you paid go to waste. I ask for an “abundant-life” sort of life and a trip full to the brim of all You accessed for me – love, joy, and peace, to name a few.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Pray for God’s Presence to Accompany You

“If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here” (Exodus 33:15).

As you travel, don’t make the mistake of taking a vacation from enjoying the Lord’s presence. Continue to seek Him and meditate on His great love! Ask Him to join you on vacation!

Lord,

You are the Prince of Peace. As we embark on our travel, I ask that You would go with us. Share this entire experience. Eat with us. Walk with us. Enjoy the beauty of Your creation with us. Let us see it all through Your eyes, loving Creator. If You don’t go with us, what possible joy could we find? Only temporary, momentary amusement! You give lasting pleasure and delight. We are asking for a trip that will yield eternal memories, ones we will take with us forever, giving thanks to You for surprising us with fresh delights and for giving us Your Holy Spirit’s presence of peace and rest.

Amen!

Asking God for Angelic Travel Guides

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For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. (Psalm 91:11,12)

Scripture makes it clear that angels are real, and they are not sitting around on clouds in La-La Land playing musical instruments. They are mighty warriors, some of which are called to our side to protect us when we need them. Angels, according to Scripture, “attend to the Word of the Lord.” For that reason, it’s a good idea to keep the Word of God close at hand, written on your very heart, and coming out your mouth at times of need.

Father,

Thank you for such a great salvation that You have provided for me. Thank You for ministering angels that stand ready to hearken unto Your command; may they hear the praise of God coming from my mouth today. May the Word of God that motivates me, be flowing from my tongue, and Your Word beckons them to my aid when I need it most.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

Prayer for Divine Appointments

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And they said one to another, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32)

We need never go on a vacation from our real vocation – being ambassadors for Christ. Wherever we travel, we bring His love and His light with us. Pray that the Lord will give You divine encounters with individuals who are hungry for the Bread of Life and thirsty for Living Water. Even while on vacation, you can continue in your occupation of being God’s delivery man or woman, dispatching hope and truth. Let’s ask for open doors!

Father,

Many times I have asked You to send laborers into the fields of those I love. I would like to be the answer to someone else’s prayer today. Somewhere a parent is praying for their child that is in a dangerous place; let me be a helping hand to that individual. I pray that you would direct me along the path of someone who needs to be reminded that their life matters deeply to You, that You haven’t given up on them, that You love them and can turn even the most difficult circumstances into something beautiful. I am making myself available to You to be in the right place at the right time for a soul in need.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.