Every Orthodox driver knows: you should go on the road by praying to God for good luck on the road. Nowadays, various incidents often occur on busy roads. Professionalism and attentiveness while driving will help to avoid an accident, and Christian prayer can calm the mind and give confidence. About what there are appeals to the Lord for motorists and how to pronounce them correctly, read the article.
How to pray before the road?
The driver’s prayer, like any other, must be sincere and uttered with all my heart, with faith in the Lord. It is best to pray before you start on the road, on the road it is better to pray not aloud, but to yourself, focusing on driving. You should not be baptized on the road and take your hands off the steering wheel for this, cross yourself before you get into the car. Remember that taking control of the machine, you also take responsibility for your life, the lives of passengers, other drivers and pedestrians.
Trusting in God's help on the way, one should not bow deeply and apply to the icons. Faith must be pure, but simple, do not flaunt it and then your prayer will be answered and received with dignity. Do not rush to God ahead of schedule - drive carefully and carefully.
If you have received a car icon as a gift, treat it with respect and attach it so that it does not obscure your view. Discard any disrespect - despite its small size, an automobile icon is as holy as any image of a saint. Nevertheless, the icon is not a charm from an accident or breakage, a silly sin is to attribute magical properties to it.
Like the consecration of a chariot or the entire car, the icon does not give the car protective properties. The rectangle with the image of the saints does not protect you, people sitting in the car, with God's will, and is not a guarantee of technical security.
Why are icons of saints in the car necessary?
An amazing fact, but few modern motorists know why icons are really needed in cars. When getting into a taxi car, into a car of friends or random people who have an icon in the passenger compartment, pay attention to how motorists relate to it when getting into a car. If the driver ignores the image of the saint, carelessly starting off - he misinterprets the purpose of the icons.
Many people still believe that the small iconostasis on the dashboard is able to protect the car and passengers from an accident, traffic police post and many other travel problems. This is not true.
The Orthodox Church is critical of the use of any charms.
The icon in the car is intended solely so that the person sitting in it can, looking at the image of the Lord or the saint, pray to him and ask for luck. Perhaps the presence of an image gives someone strength and confidence, but the icon does not have the properties of an amulet.Faith in saints and God's favor are power.
An interesting fact about Orthodoxy and cars: in some countries there is a tradition of putting a figure of Jesus Christ in the cabin near the dashboard. The purpose of this figure is very serious - this is not an ornament or deification of an object. In an accident, regardless of the outcome, the motorist has the opportunity to look at the face of Jesus and pray for forgiveness, which most often gives him strength to recover from the incident.
Based on the foregoing, you should not hang the whole car with icons, unless you are going to offer them all prayers in turn. It is quite enough two, at most - three icons.
The location of the icons in the car
The location of the icons in the car can be very different. You can attach them as you like, but several important rules to keep in mind:
- First of all, the icons should not interfere with the review, as well as hide important elements of the car control panel.
- Icons located in the car should look face to the worshiper.
- Sometimes, some car enthusiasts turn their icons on the road, sticking them to the windshield. This arrangement is also allowed by the priest, there is nothing fundamental in this.
- Icons in the car can be located on the dashboard, as in the "red corner" of the house. At this prayer corner, you can pray and be baptized when there is no temple nearby.
By and large, there are no strict rules on the placement of icons in the car. Everyone does it as they please.
What icons to place in the car?
It is believed that the icon of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of travelers, must be present in the car. However, the Orthodox Church instructs drivers to place three icons in cars - Jesus Christ, the Virgin, and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Also, one should not forget about St. Christopher, the patron saint of carriers, sailors and drivers, whom Jesus christened when he crossed the river with his help.
Kinds of prayer for a motorist
The purpose of the car is to successfully, quickly and safely deliver passengers to their destination. The purpose of the prayer is to protect the driver from danger, to give him confidence and peace of mind on the way.
The most powerful prayer on the road is considered prayer to the Lord for help and maintenance on the way. In addition to her, there are appeals to Guardian Angel, Nicholas the Miracle Worker, Blessed Virgin Mary.
Every prayer on the road protects you so that nothing happens to you. Not every amulet is capable of protecting you like prayer.
Prayer to the Lord God
When caring for a safe road, you should first pray to the Lord God. This is done before the trip, before boarding the car or already inside, looking at the icon depicting Jesus Christ.
Below is the text of this strong prayer for the road, in particular for the long journey:
“O Lord Almighty, I bow to you, going out on the threshold, standing on the road. O all-seeing and all-knowing, I pray you for help in the long journey, do not leave your slave in your aspirations. Do not let me renounce the goal, send the road clear and clear, strengthen my attention and get to the goal without hindrance. All your will is God's, and I embark on a journey with faith in my heart. Amen".
Guardian Angel
After praying to the Lord God, you can also pray to the Guardian Angel, which every person has. He is called to help in any situation.
The driver’s prayer in front of the Guardian Angel dear to the Orthodox Church is recommended for reading:
“The holy guardian of heaven, an incorporeal angel, sent to me in heaven, protecting me from troubles. I pray you: enlighten and save the servant of God from evil (name, if passengers are traveling with you - everyone’s names). Be my helper and intercessor, save and save on my path, put my eyes on my face, put my ears on my face, don’t take my eyes off the road. Angel of heaven, thank you for your help along the way and I will keep your faith by age. Amen!"
Icons of the Guardian Angel can also be found in church shops and inserted next to the icons of Jesus Christ and the Virgin.
Prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker "On Traveling"
A prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker on the road in Russian is more suitable for long trips, travel and difficult weather.
It is read three times, in the image of the saint:
“All-holy Nicholas, the saint of God, our sincere intercessor and helper in all adversities. Help us sinners turn to the Lord. Begged the Almighty to forgive us our sins, from our youth to old age, for our feelings are strong in the Christian faith, and we offer this praise day and night. As the waters of the sea opened under the step of Moses, how the word of His storm instantly pacified, to which you yourself are a benefactor, the Great Miracle Worker, let my path be successful today, and now forever and ever. I pray for that unceasingly before your face and the Lord's gaze. Amen".
It is worth remembering or familiarizing yourself, if you did not know about this, with the story of how St. Nicholas saved the ship on which he sailed. With the power of prayer to the Lord, he pacified the storm approaching the boat and the sea subsided. Of course, a car is not a boat, but people honor the Wonderworker for his sincere faith and the light that he carried on behalf of God. It is believed that the prayers read to St. Nicholas are offered to the Lord by the highest number of other saints.
Appeal to the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Blessed Virgin Mary can be prayed by both the driver and the passenger, as well as relatives remaining at home. Before any responsible road, before a simple trip for groceries or sending children to a kindergarten or school, one should offer a prayer for the health of the Mother of God:
“Our gracious and all-merciful Lord, who keeps all his slaves patiently with love, I pray you humbly, by the intercession of the Virgin and your saints. Save me from evil and death (or the name of the driver), the sinner, and the people who followed him, help everyone to get unharmed to his goal. For man is led by thy will, do not turn away mercilessly from us.
Lord, Almighty, deliver me (or the name of the driver) from the evil thirst for lethargy, from ungodly death without confessional repentance, God, let me live until old age without the burden of the victims through my fault, and may Your name be glorified henceforth. Amen".
Saying any prayer, at the end of it, listen to yourself. The Lord speaks to us through feelings, and if you feel a surge of energy, enlightenment and high spirits - boldly move on. Do not forget about the rules of the road and attentiveness, the Lord keeps you, but you take care of your own hands.
If you say a prayer, you suddenly feel sadness or anxiety, as it intensifies, think: maybe you should postpone the trip or use public transport?
