This prayer is for families preparing to travel, whether it is a long drive, a flight to see relatives, or a week at the lake. Pray it before you pack the car, on the morning you leave, or as you sit down together at the first stop. You can read it aloud exactly as written, or use it as a starting point and speak in your own words about the people in your care.
Blessings for a Family Vacation
Lord, thank you for this time away together. We have looked forward to it for weeks, and we know that rest does not come automatically just because we have changed our address for a few days. Some of us are tired from work and school, some of us are anxious about money or the schedule, and some of us are carrying worries we have not said out loud yet. Be with each of us in those places. Give us patience with one another when the drive runs long, when the restaurant is slow, or when someone wants a different plan than the one we made.
Keep us safe on the road and in the air. Watch over the driver, the people in the back seat, and the strangers who share our path. Help us notice the good things along the way: the view, the laughter over something small, the quiet moment when everyone is finally in the same place. Teach us to slow down and let this week be what it is, not a list of things to conquer. Guard our hearts from comparing this trip to others, and from measuring it by photographs. We want to be present with each other. Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Father, we are leaving now and we ask for your protection on the way. Keep our car, our plane, and our bodies safe. Give us kindness toward one another when we are tired or hungry. Help us enjoy this time together and remember that it is a gift from you. Bring us home rested and grateful. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
Psalm 121:7-8
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil. He will keep your soul. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more.
(WEB)
Pray this as you pull out of the driveway. Ask God to keep your going out and your coming in, trusting that the journey is not outside his care even when the roads are unfamiliar.
Numbers 6:24-26
24 ‘The LORD bless you, and keep you. 25 The LORD make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. 26 The LORD lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’
(WEB)
This is the priestly blessing, and it works well spoken over each family member by name. Let the words stand as a promise that God’s face is turned toward your family wherever you go.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
(WEB)
Travel brings small worries: missed connections, lost bags, a sick child. Pray this passage when anxiety rises, bringing each concern to God with thanks, and asking for his peace to guard your thoughts.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…
(WEB)
Holidays have their own seasons, some for play and some for rest. Pray this over the week, asking God to help you recognize the time for laughter and the time for quiet, and to receive each one as it comes.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”
(WEB)
When a trip takes you somewhere unfamiliar, this verse reminds you that the Lord goes ahead of you. Pray it for the unknown parts of the week, asking for courage to be together in new places.
How to Pray This Prayer
Try praying the longer version in the car before the first mile, while everyone is still settling in and before the phones come out. Keep a hand on the dashboard, a bag strap, or a child’s shoulder as you speak, so that your body is involved in the request. If you are traveling with a spouse, a grandparent, or an older child, invite them to pray a sentence each, so that every person in the family hears their own name spoken before God.
On the first evening, when the bags are unpacked and the house or room feels strange, read the shorter version together at the table or by the bed. Ask each person what they are grateful for from the day. You may find that a simple prayer said in a tired moment does more for the family than a long one prayed in a hurry.
A Blessing to Close
May the Lord go before your family on every road and keep you through every mile. May he give you rest that reaches deeper than sleep, and joy that outlasts the trip. May you return home closer to one another and closer to the God who travels with you.
