A prayer for God's protection over you, your family, your home, and your travels, grounded in Psalm 91 and the God who is a refuge and fortress.
Lord, be our refuge and fortress. Keep our going out and our coming in, guard this house and everyone in it, and let us sleep in peace under your watch. Amen.
Pray this at night over the household, before travel and commutes, when family members are far away or in harm's way (deployed, hospitalized, traveling), during storms and local dangers, and over children at the start of school terms.
Protection is one of Scripture's favorite promises, and Psalm 91 is its headquarters: 'He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust' (Psalm 91:1-2). The imagery is architectural and martial at once: God as fortress, shield, and buckler; angels charged with guarding; a keeper who neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:3-4). The New Testament carries the same confidence into spiritual territory: the Lord is faithful and 'will establish you and guard you against the evil one' (2 Thessalonians 3:3), and the armor passage (Ephesians 6:10-18) presumes both a real adversary and real protection. Biblical protection prayer is not superstition or a guarantee against all harm; the psalmists prayed it from inside sieges and plagues. It is the settled practice of assigning the guard duty to God, especially for the hours and places we cannot watch ourselves. This prayer covers the classic theaters: home, family, travel, work, and the night.
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”
Refuge and fortress: the protection psalm's foundation.
“The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in.
“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”
The Lord is faithful; he will establish you and guard you.
“To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
The blessing that begins: The LORD bless you and KEEP you.
Psalm 91 has been the church's protection prayer for millennia: refuge, fortress, angelic guard, and promises for plague and terror alike. Pray it personally (change it to your household's names and situations), and pair it with Psalm 121 ('he who keeps you will not slumber') and the blessing of Numbers 6:24, 'The LORD bless you and keep you.'
Psalm 91:1-2 is the foundation: dwelling in God's shelter, abiding in his shadow. Add Psalm 46:1 (refuge and strength), 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (guarded against the evil one), Proverbs 18:10 ('the name of the LORD is a strong tower'), and Psalm 121:7-8 (kept in going out and coming in).
Name the people, the places, and the actual risks, and assign the watch to God explicitly, especially for sleep hours (Psalm 4:8) and travel (Psalm 121:8). Biblical protection prayer also embraces wisdom's part: the precautions, locks, and wise choices are obedience, not a lack of faith.