A Prayer Before Traveling

When we travel, we often have different concerns regarding our trip. While safety is always important, there are many other concerns that each person has when they travel. We must offer all of those concerns to God because we depend on Him for everything at the end of the day. He is the One who holds us and takes care of us. Whenever we travel, His providential care sustains us.

Heavenly Father, I thank You because Your providential hand is always at work. Therefore, I pray for safety while traveling and lift up to You the concerns and cares I have about my upcoming trip. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What can I pray before traveling?

Generally speaking, you are praying for traveling mercies. For example, one of the everyday things that people pray for when they travel is safety during the trip itself. As you pray for traveling mercies, you basically pray for God’s mercy, asking Him to keep you safe and sound from any accident or physical danger as you and your loved ones head toward your destination. 

With that in mind, many different prayers could be prayed. You can pray for a safe flight if you are going to be flying to your destination. You can pray for a comfortable trip if you are traveling by sea, especially if you are prone to seasickness. You can also pray for other factors that might affect the safety and comfort of your travel, like the pilot, the ship captain, the weather, the mode of transportation itself, and many more.

However, praying before your travel is not just about praying for traveling. You can also pray for the purpose of the trip. For example, if you are going on a vacation after a long stretch of being busy at work, before traveling, you can pray to God to give you a refreshing vacation where you can rest, forget about work for a while, and unwind. If you are a businessman traveling for business purposes, you can pray for God to cause your endeavor or purpose to bear fruit.

Aside from praying for traveling mercies and the purpose of your travel, you can also pray to God by reminding yourself of who God is and His providence. Whether going on a vacation, a business trip, a mission trip, or any other type of travel it is always good to remind yourself through confessing in prayer that God is the one who ultimately looks after you. Psalm 23 is a good passage to meditate on. It reminds us that Christ is our good shepherd as we travel and that whatever the uncertain future holds, surely His goodness and loving kindness will follow us.

How do I pray before traveling?

How you pray before traveling is by lifting to God whatever travel concerns you may have. In Philippians 4:6-7, it is written that we are to present our prayer requests to God, from whom peace that transcends all understanding shall guard our hearts and minds. Whatever cares or concerns we may have regarding our travel, whether that is our safety along the way, flights being delayed, the weather, whether we are able to achieve our travel purpose, etc., we must not take on those cares by ourselves. Instead, we must cast them to God, as written in (Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7), because He cares for us.

While indeed God is sovereign, powerful, and all-knowing and knows our prayers even before we ask them, we should still present our cares to God through prayer. That is because God uses our prayers to bring about His will. As written in  (Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16), our prayers are powerful and effective in Christ. God uses our prayers to accomplish His purpose, even when it comes to the safety of you and the people on the flight you are about to be on. Hence, it is always important to pray.

Heavenly Father, as I am about to fly tomorrow to Europe, I pray that my flight won’t be delayed and negatively affect my plans. Keep me and my fellow passengers safe from any harm or danger, and I pray that You will give the pilots the grace they need to fly our plane competently and safely. I pray that I will be able to have a fruitful vacation in Europe and be able to go to all the places I wish to visit. Help me unwind and not just go on a vacation on my own but also do it with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

God is omnipresent, meaning that He is everywhere, as written in Psalm 139:7-10. Wherever you go, whether in the east or to the west, if you are in Christ, God is always with You. Our safety and confidence are that we are in good hands wherever we go because God is always with us. That is why His goodness and loving kindness follow us wherever we are in life and wherever we are on this planet.