A person travels for a variety of reasons. Some of us travel for work, to visit family, to go on vacation, or to go on a missionary trip. Regardless of the reason you are traveling, it is important to remain spiritually grounded while you are traveling. I personally understand the difficulty of traveling while also trying to stay spiritually grounded.
The first time I traveled overseas was for my mission internship in college. I had never even been on a plane before this, as my family never had extra money to go on a big vacation. If we went on a trip, it was going to be less than five hours away and it was going to be a road trip. Traveling overseas—and by myself was a shock to the system and although I was really excited at the time, I did later see the hard parts of the traveling process and being away from home for the first time.
My relationship with Jesus also struggled while I was on my mission trip as I struggled to feel sure of myself in different surroundings. Many people were saying I didn’t qualify for mission work because of my struggles, which made me doubt God. I also missed my family and it was often hard to see God through the painful circumstances. However, in hindsight now, I’m glad I went on this mission internship and I actually improved my relationship with the Lord weeks before I even landed back on American soil. With this in mind, here are five ways to stay spiritually grounded while traveling.
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While I was overseas, it was hard for me to remember to pray everyday. My time was taken up by all the church events and ministry activities that I would often forget to pray. I believe this did slowly contribute to an impaired relationship with Jesus. This is why we must be disciplined and ensure we are praying even if we don’t feel like it. Whether we are happy, sad, busy, bored, or tired, we still need to pray to the Lord.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit can help us when we are struggling to put our feelings into words. Allow Him to help you as you are praying. He knows exactly what you need and He will bring those requests to the Father.
As you are traveling, take time to check in on yourself and ask, “Have I prayed today?” Even if it is late in the day and you are about to fall asleep, take some time to pray to the Lord. This will help you to stay spiritually grounded while you are traveling. It is not good to fall out of the habit of praying as we will be more prone to struggle with the flesh and fall victim to the attacks of the enemy. Part of putting on the full armor of God is to pray in the Spirit at all times (Ephesians 6:18).
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Group prayer is needed not only when we are at home, but also when we are abroad. Traveling can be fun, however, it is distracting us from Jesus, we need to bring our minds back to Him. If you are on a road trip or even if you are flying on a plane, go to the Lord together in prayer with those around you. While you are driving, ask everyone to present their requests to the Lord. They can either share them quietly in their own hearts if they don’t want to share or to speak it out loud in order for others to hear.
If you are on a plane and you are traveling, try to form a prayer circle with those who are also traveling with you and pray to the Lord. Once you land at your location, try to cultivate this practice and continue to do group prayer. Group prayer is not a substitute for individual, personal prayer, however, it can be helpful and keep us spiritually grounded during busy times. Seek out unique ways you can continue to pray while you are on the go and don’t forget to give the Lord thanks for the beautiful gifts of being able to directly talk with Him in prayer.
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The Apostle Paul is known for his teaching of to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). To pray without ceasing means we always keep the Lord at the front of our minds. Even though other things might come up, our minds and hearts will return to Him. By praying without ceasing while we are traveling, we will be able to stay spiritually grounded. Rather than being caught up with stressors or amazements, we will be securely placed on solid ground by Jesus Himself.
However, it is also important to note that praying without ceasing doesn’t mean we just keep praying 24/7. Rather, it means we will keep Jesus in our minds at all times and refrain from forgetting about Him. Sadly, it is easy to forget about many important things while we are traveling and this can cause us to suffer in many ways. By praying without ceasing, we will keep ourselves in check and ensure that we don’t drift away from the Lord.
Traveling is fun, but we must not allow it to distract us from Jesus. This is why we must be intentional and choose to cultivate the practice of praying on the go. While many people believe you have to pray on your knees or do some sort of elaborate preparation, simply speaking to the Lord in prayer is all that is required. Jesus hears all of our prayers, whether we are at home or traveling far away.
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While we are traveling, it can be helpful to pray Scripture. This is especially true if we don’t know what to pray for. Maybe we have a million things we feel we need to pray or maybe we are struggling to find one thing to pray for. For example, if we are on a mission trip, it might be pretty easy to come up with a few prayer requests, but if we are on a trip around Europe, it might be harder because it feels as though we have everything we could ever want. Getting everything we want isn’t always necessarily good because it can lead us away from focusing on Jesus.
Going on a nice trip to Europe or anywhere else for that matter is not bad, but it is important that we don’t forget Jesus in the process. Pray over Scripture while you are traveling or while you are looking at historic landmarks. A lot of the time when we are traveling, we get to visit historic buildings and churches, which can also help us to be reminded to pray to the Lord. Read over the Bible and see what Scriptures you might need to pray today.
A few Scriptures you can try to pray while you are on your travels can include:
It is a great opportunity to be able to travel. Whenever we reach our destination, we need to lift up the Lord in praise. Whether we are taking a cross-country road trip or we are traveling overseas, each time we reach a landmark location, we can give the Lord praise and thanks. This will help us to remember to pray to Him, give Him thanks, and remain spiritually grounded in the process.
If we stray away from the Lord during our travels, it will be hard to return to Him once we get back home. This is why it is important to continue cultivating our walk with Him, pray to Him, and invest in time with Him. Jesus shouldn’t take the backseat when things exciting and fun are happening, such as traveling. We need to always keep the Lord at the front of our minds and ensure He is the focus of our lives.
Sadly, even good things can distract us from Jesus, including vacations or travels. The good news is that we can return to Him and He will forever welcome us home. He loves us beyond measure and is ready to hear from us whenever we are. Try your best to continue to cultivate your prayer life while you are on the go, even if it might be a challenge sometimes. It is worth the time and effort you will invest as it will keep you spiritually grounded.
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