Regardless of the type of transport, a long journey is always fraught with danger for travelers. The presented prayers for the journey to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker will be useful to the driver and his passengers, the pilot, the captain and just a person who is going somewhere.
The traveler himself or the one who is seeing off loved ones, friends or relatives can turn to the saint and ask for a successful and safe journey. Such prayers protect against:
- emergency situations;
- robbery and robbery during the journey;
- close attention of law enforcement officers to the car and driver;
- bad and unpleasant incidents.
The purpose of such prayers for the road is a safe completion of the trip and an easy path without obstacles.
The meaning of special prayers before the road
In the Orthodox tradition, there are special prayers for various areas of our lives and “special occasions.” This is due to the desire to “purely” (“especially”) turn to the Lord, the Mother of God, and the saints, asking for help in a specific situation. Thus, in the modern world, prayers for drivers have appeared. For example, a prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker on the road. There's nothing wrong with that. But prayer should not be considered some kind of talisman for a good road. Reading these texts does not guarantee that nothing bad will happen along the way. Orthodox prayer is a way of spiritual communication between a Christian and God.
Icons of the Savior, Mother of God and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the car interior
“The Lord accepts all human petitions, no matter how small and insignificant they may be, if the human heart rejoices and trembles, standing before the Face of the Lord. Everything small is perfected in this coming. Everything imperfect becomes great. Do not be embarrassed by the magnitude or insignificance of your requests, but seek, first of all, not what you want to ask, but Him whom you want to ask. The only requests that are unworthy are those who love the Lord less than the thing or deed for which they ask. If you love the Lord most of all, then blessed is every request you have, both great and small, and every request you have will be fulfilled, and the one that is not fulfilled will bring greater good than the one that is fulfilled” (Archbishop John Shakhovsky, 1902-1989 ).
Therefore, the driver’s prayer before the road in a car, addressed to the Lord, His Mother, or a saint (for example, Nicholas the Wonderworker) does not guarantee a trip without trouble. But we must not forget that God will arrange everything for Christians in the best possible way.
“Believe God, trust His always good will for us, accept everything in life, joy, joylessness, prosperity, and evil, as the mercy and truth of the ways of the Lord, and fear nothing in life, only sin” (Archimandrite John Krestyankin , 1910-2006).
Prayer for those traveling by air
Today people very often travel by plane. This is a very convenient type of transport that allows you to cover vast distances in a short time. But many people have an inner fear of air travel.
To get rid of it and calm down, you should read the following prayer before the flight:
“I, the servant of God (proper name), turn to the Savior of the human race, the Great Lover of Humanity, Jesus Christ. You are our Lord and Creator, commanding all the elements and maintaining power over everything. You are revered by all, You control the movement of the abysses and stars, everything created by You rejoices in You and accepts Your mercies and blessings. All believers humbly obey your will. You alone are sinless, good Lord. So show us sinners your mercy, do not punish us for voluntary and involuntary sins committed through our foolishness. Do not punish us for the iniquities of our ancestors, for we repent of all the sins of the human race, grant us your mercy and guide us to the true path. YOU, Lord God, Almighty Ruler of heaven, listen to my prayers, servant of God (proper name), bless my air travel. Forbid the raging winds during my flight, keep the aircraft intact, let it fly safely from the starting point to the final destination. Grant me peace of mind and faith in the successful outcome of my air travel. You alone are Savior and Deliverer, I believe in Your power and hope in Your blessings. I glorify You and accept Your will. Amen".
Prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker on the road
In the Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (3rd-4th century) is considered one of the especially revered saints. His numerous assistance to believers in various everyday situations earned him the glory of the Great Wonderworker.
“He not only cared about the spiritual; he cared for every human need, the most humble human needs. He knew how to rejoice with those who rejoice, he knew how to cry with those who weep, he knew how to console and support those who needed comfort and support. And this is why the people, the Mirlikian flock loved him so much, and why the entire Christian people honors him so much: there is nothing too insignificant that he would not pay attention to with his creative love. There is nothing on earth that would seem unworthy of his prayers and unworthy of his works: illness, and poverty, and deprivation, and disgrace, and fear, and sin, and joy, and hope, and love - everything found a living response in his deep heart. human heart" (Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, 1914-2003).
So it is quite natural for car drivers to want to turn to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker before the road. After all, the driver is responsible for the lives of other people he is driving. Therefore, Christians in their prayers ask for protection not only from danger on the road. They pray to the saint so that through inattention and negligence they do not become the cause of the death of other people.
Also important is the prayer to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the road from passengers traveling by car. According to the established Russian tradition, people turn to Saint Nicholas before setting off on a journey.
Prayer for Traveling Children
Before traveling, be sure to offer a prayer of protection for traveling children. They are more vulnerable, so they face greater dangers on the road. But thanks to strong prayer, the child will endure any move without problems.
The prayer might sound like this:
“I, servant of God (proper name), direct my prayer to the Lord God. I ask for help and support on the road for my children. Let them easily endure the long journey, and the time on the journey will pass unnoticed for them. Lord, do not forsake my children and do not punish them for my voluntary and involuntary sins, of which I sincerely repent. I praise you, O Lord, and glorify your name. Amen".
Miracles according to prayers to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
In 2010, Olga's family traveled by car around Italy. Hotels for overnight stays were pre-booked. As they approached the city of Verona at night, they lost their way. Having prayed to St. Nicholas the Pleasant, we drove straight at random and stopped in front of some hotel. Olga's husband knew only French. He went to find out how to get to his hotel. Although there was no hope that he would be understood and that he would understand another language. “By chance” the hotel receptionist knew French and explained how to get there.
In the summer of 2013, Elena’s family from Moscow went on vacation to the sea by car. Before the road, they prayed to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and took the icon with them. Elena's husband was driving. 100 kilometers from the capital, two cars collided in front of them. As the man later said, he had a feeling of time slowing down. Due to this, he was able to dodge colliding cars at speed.
On the night of August 9, 2015, Tatyana, a resident of Barnaul (Altai Territory), was returning home by bus. Before the road, as usual, she prayed to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The bus in which Tatyana was traveling was delayed on the way for half an hour. That night there was a serious accident on the highway with casualties. If the bus had followed the schedule, it would have ended up in the very center of the accident.
Prayer "Hodegetria" for travelers
The Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” became especially revered from the beginning of the 12th century. Translated, this name sounds like “Guide”. Therefore, it is believed that this icon must be in the house of a person whose activities are related to travel. If you read a special prayer in front of this icon immediately before the road, you can protect yourself from a variety of troubles while traveling. You also need to take a small icon with you on the road; it will become a protective amulet. Periodically, during stops along the way, you should pray to the Most Holy Theotokos for the granting of well-being during your journey.
The prayer appeal sounds like this:
“Oh, wonderful Queen of Heaven, Most Holy Theotokos, Mother of God, who gave our world the Savior. Hear my prayer, sinner and unworthy. With sighs and tears in my eyes, I, servant of God (proper name), turn to you with a heartfelt prayer. Deliver me from grief and sadness on my journey, do not let the irreparable happen. Protect me on the road from all misfortunes and slander of enemies. Save me from evil on the road and grant me strength to complete the journey safely. Ask the Lord for forgiveness of my voluntary and involuntary sins, so that they do not become God’s punishment for me. Pray the Most Holy Theotokos to your Son to save us and give us hope of finding peace for the soul in the Kingdom of Heaven. Until the end of my days I will extol your holy name and glorify the deeds of God. Amen".
Driver's prayer to the Lord
God, the All-Good and All-Merciful, protecting everyone with His mercy and love for mankind, I humbly pray to Thee, through the intercession of the Mother of God and all the saints, save me, a sinner, and the people entrusted to me from sudden death and all misfortunes, and help me to deliver unharmed to each according to his needs. Dear God! Deliver me from the evil spirit of recklessness, the evil spirit of drunkenness, which causes misfortune and sudden death without repentance. Grant me, Lord, with a clear conscience to live to a ripe old age without the burden of people killed and maimed due to my negligence, and may Your Holy Name be glorified, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus Christ before leaving home
If you have a long road ahead, turn to Jesus Christ. Especially if it is not possible to take a blessing on a trip. Before leaving home, prayer on a long journey will become an important support along the way. Other countries, extreme travel, an unusual type of transport - these factors often add to the unpleasant impressions of the trip.
I deny you, Satan, your pride and service to you, and I unite with you, Christ, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (And protect yourself with the sign of the cross.)
Prayer to Jesus Christ before traveling
Before traveling by car, praying to Jesus Christ himself should be the main petition. A person cannot predict the behavior of a vehicle on the road, even if the car has been thoroughly technically prepared.
It is important to maintain the right balance between the material and spiritual world. Don’t forget about prayer on the road - it is as important as a motorist’s first aid kit.
The path and truth, O Christ, of Thy companion, Thy angel, Thy servant now, as Tobiah sometimes did, after preserving and unharmed to Thy glory, from all evil in all well-being, through the prayers of the Mother of God, the One Lover of Mankind.
Doxology for Beginning Drivers
Many drivers, especially beginners, have icons of saints in the interior of their cars as a talisman.
Driving for the first time always comes with some emotions, which can lead to unexpected traffic violations and accidents. An Orthodox prayer will help here, which will instill confidence in a novice driver and protect him from troubles.
The driver must make a talisman for himself. To do this, you need to take a piece of paper, copy the petition onto it and sew it into a scarf with a bag. The holy amulet must be kept with you, close to the body while driving.
