These prayers are for the journey ahead of you, whether that means a trip across the country, a new season of work, a move to a different city, or the long road of recovery from an illness. Pray the main prayer before you leave or at the start of any stretch of change, and read it aloud exactly as written, or use it as a starting point and speak in your own words.
Prayers for My Journey
Lord, I am about to set out, and I do not know everything that lies ahead. Some of the road is familiar and some of it is new, and I feel both the excitement and the knot in my stomach that comes with leaving what I know. Go before me. Clear the way where I can see it and steady me where I cannot. Protect the people I am leaving behind and the people I will meet along the way, and keep my body, my car, my plans and my mind in your care.
Father, when I grow tired, remind me that you do not tire. When I lose my way, show me the next step rather than the whole map. When I am tempted to trust my own cleverness, turn my heart back toward you. Give me patience with the delays, honesty in the hard conversations, and kindness toward the strangers I pass. Let this journey shape me into someone more faithful, more humble and more grateful than I was when I started.
Thank you that I am never traveling alone. Whatever happens on the road, you have been there first, and you will be there when I arrive. Bring me home safely, or bring me to the place you have prepared, and let me find you in both. Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Lord, I am on the way and I need you now. Keep my eyes open and my hands steady. Guard the people I love while I am gone, and guard me while I am on the road. Give me peace where I feel anxious and wisdom where I feel unsure. Lead me forward one step at a time, and bring me safely to where I am going. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
Psalm 121:8
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more.
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Pray this verse as a promise over your going out and your coming in. Ask God to keep watch over every departure and every return, from the first mile to the last, and thank him that his watchfulness does not depend on your own alertness.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
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Use this passage when you are tempted to plan every detail and worry about what you cannot control. Ask God to straighten the paths you cannot see, and confess the places where you have been leaning on your own understanding.
Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.
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This verse speaks to the rivers and fires you may face along the way. Pray it for the hard stretches of the journey, asking God to be with you through them rather than to spare you from every difficulty.
Joshua 1:9
Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
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Pray this when courage is running low. Ask God to make you strong and steady for the road ahead, and to remind you of his presence whenever fear rises up in your chest.
Psalm 139:9-10
9 If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.
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Read this slowly when you feel far from home or far from help. Thank God that no distance, however great, takes you beyond his reach, and ask him to lead you there with his own steady hand.
How to Pray This Prayer
Pray the main prayer in the quiet minutes before you leave, sitting in your car, at the kitchen table, or at the gate before boarding. Keep your hands open in your lap or hold the keys, the ticket or the map as a physical reminder that you are handing the journey over to God. If you are praying as a family, let each person speak one line of the prayer aloud.
You might also ask someone you trust to pray this prayer for you while you are away, or to pray it with you on the phone before a long drive. Whenever the road feels long, return to the shorter version and let it carry you from one mile marker to the next.
A Blessing to Close
May the Lord go before you and beside you on every mile of the road. May he keep your going out and your coming in, steady your heart when the way is unclear, and bring you home with a grateful and peaceful spirit. Wherever you are headed, may you find that God has already been there.
