“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods” (Ezra 8:21 ESV).
As Ezra prepared to lead a remnant of the Israelites from the Ahava River near Babylon back to Jerusalem, he called for a time of prayer and fasting. The journey would be long and dangerous, especially since they carried the treasures of the Temple that the Babylonians had taken. Therefore they implored the Lord for protection and placed their trust in Him for the journey and He heard their prayer.
Do you pray before a trip? Packing the car, getting the kids strapped in, making sure you didn’t forget anything… things get pretty hectic before a journey. Taking time to pray before heading out is often overlooked. Yet might this be the most important preparation before leaving home?
One of the habits we began with our young children, and now have continued with our grandchildren, is to pray together before a trip. After everyone’s loaded into the car and we begin to leave our driveway, I always stop the car and say, “Wait a minute. What did we forget?” And the kids shout the answer, “The travel prayer.”
“Oh no!” I say. “We can’t forget that. Who wants to pray the travel prayer?” “Me! Me!” They shout from the back seats. We choose a different child on every trip. They’ve learned to pray for our protection and for everyone to have a good time together on the journey.
PRAYER: Dear Father, forgive us when we forget to pray and trust You for our journey through this life. We turn to You now. For You are our shield and our guide. Lead us Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.