Christmas has a way of making the miles feel longer. The tree is up and the lights are glowing, but someone you love is not in the room. Maybe your children live in another state. Maybe your parents are across the country, or a sister is serving overseas. Maybe money or health keeps you apart this year.
When you can’t be together, you can still pray. Prayer reaches where your arms can’t. God is with your family right where they are, and He is with you too.
These 12 Christmas prayers for family far away are short enough to pray each day of the season. Each one comes with a Bible verse and a few thoughts on what it means.
Pray them on your own, write one in a Christmas card, or read one aloud on a video call. If you are also grieving someone this year, you may find comfort in these Christmas prayers for those who are grieving.
1. A Prayer of Thanks for the Family I Miss
“I thank my God whenever I remember you.”
Philippians 1:3
Paul wrote these words to friends he could not visit. He did not let the distance turn into sadness. Every memory of them turned into thanks. When you miss your family, you can do the same thing. Each thought of them can become a small prayer of thanks.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for my family. When I miss them this Christmas, help me turn every memory into thanks. Thank You for the laughs we shared, the meals we ate together, and the love that still ties us together today. Let my missing them remind me how blessed I am to have them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
2. A Prayer for God to Watch Over Them
“The Lord watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.”
Genesis 31:49
Laban spoke these words as Jacob and his family left to go home. They knew they would be apart, so they gave each other into God’s care. You can’t check on your family every hour. But God can, and He never sleeps.
Prayer: Father, I can’t be with my family this Christmas, but You can. Watch over them in every place they go. Keep them safe on the roads and safe in their homes. When I lie down at night, help me rest knowing they are in Your hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
3. A Christmas Blessing Over My Loved Ones
“The Lord bless you, and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
God gave this blessing to the priests so they could speak it over His people. It asks for three things: protection, grace and peace. Those are the gifts every family needs at Christmas. You can pray this blessing over your loved ones no matter how far away they live. For a blessing to share when you are gathered, try this family Christmas blessing prayer.
Prayer: Lord, bless my family this Christmas. Keep them close to You. Let Your face shine on them and fill their homes with Your grace. Give them peace in their hearts and peace in their homes. Wherever they are tonight, let them feel Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
4. A Prayer for Safe Travels Home
“The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more.”
Psalm 121:8
This psalm was sung by travelers on their way to Jerusalem. It reminds us that God is with us when we leave and when we return. If someone in your family is coming home this year, or if you are the one traveling, this verse is a promise to hold.
Prayer: Lord, guard every family member who is traveling this Christmas. Watch over them on highways, in airports and in bad weather. Keep their cars running and their flights on time. Bring them home safely, and bring them back safely when they leave. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
5. A Prayer for Peace in Their Hearts
“For a child is born to us. A son is given to us; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
Isaiah wrote this hundreds of years before Jesus was born. One of the names he gave Jesus is Prince of Peace. The peace Jesus brings does not depend on where we live. Your family can have His peace in a busy city or a small town far from you.
Prayer: Jesus, Prince of Peace, fill my family with Your peace this Christmas. Where there is worry, bring calm. Where there is stress, bring rest. Where there is tension between us, bring healing. Let them know You as their Wonderful Counselor this season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
6. A Prayer for When the House Feels Empty
“God sets the lonely in families.”
Psalm 68:6
God knows what it feels like when the table has empty chairs. This verse shows His heart for the lonely. He places people around us, even when our own family is far away. Church friends, neighbors and coworkers can become family for a season.
Prayer: Father, my home feels quiet this Christmas. You see the empty chairs and You know how much I miss my family. Fill this house with Your presence. Bring people around me this season who can share the joy of Christmas. Help me open my door to someone else who is alone too. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
7. A Prayer That Nothing Can Separate Us From God’s Love
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
Paul lists almost everything that could come between us and God. None of it can. Distance is on that list too. Your family may be hundreds of miles from you, but no one in your family is ever far from God’s love.
Prayer: Lord, thank You that no mile and no ocean can separate my family from Your love. Hold each one of them close. Remind them that they are loved by You and loved by me. Let Your love be the tie that keeps our family together. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
8. A Prayer for Good News From Home
“Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.”
Proverbs 25:25
A phone call, a text or a card in the mail can feel like a cool drink on a hot day. This proverb shows how much good news means when we are apart. You can pray for good news, and you can be the one who sends it.
Prayer: Lord, let good news travel between my family this Christmas. Bring good reports of health, good jobs and answered prayers. Help me be the one who calls first and writes the card. Let my words be like cold water to the ones I love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
9. A Prayer for God With Us
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel, which is, being interpreted, ‘God with us.'”
Matthew 1:23
The name Immanuel means God with us. Jesus came close so we would never be alone. When your family can’t be with you, God still is. And He is with them too, in the very same moment.
Prayer: Immanuel, thank You for coming to be with us. Be with me in my home this Christmas, and be with my family in theirs. When we light our trees and sit down to eat, let us each feel that You are near. Make Your presence the gift that fills every home in our family. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
10. A Prayer for a Joyful Reunion
“Having many things to write to you, I don’t want to do so with paper and ink, but I hope to come to you, and to speak face to face, that our joy may be made full.”
2 John 1:12
John loved writing letters, but he knew nothing beats being in the same room. He hoped to see his friends face to face so their joy could be full. It is good to long for that day with your family. You can bring that hope to God.
Prayer: Father, I long to see my family face to face. Make a way for us to be together again soon. Open doors, provide money for travel and give us good health. Until that day, keep our love strong. And when we meet again, make our joy full. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
11. A Prayer for Family Who Are Apart in Heart
“But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire.”
1 Thessalonians 2:17
Paul was apart from his friends in body, but not in heart. Sometimes the hardest distance in a family is not miles. It is hurt, silence or a broken bond. God can close that kind of distance too.
Prayer: Lord, some of the distance in my family is in our hearts. You know the hurt and the silence between us. Soften every hard heart, including mine. Give me the courage to reach out this Christmas. Bring healing where there has been pain, and bring us back together in love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
12. A Prayer for Every Family in Heaven and on Earth
“For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.”
Ephesians 3:14-15
Paul knelt and prayed for God’s family. Every family belongs to God first. Your family is not too far away for Him to reach. He knows each of your loved ones by name.
Prayer: Father, I bow before You for my whole family. You know each of their names, their needs and their hearts. Draw every one of them closer to You this Christmas. Let our family be known for love and faith, wherever we live. Thank You that we all belong to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Ways to Feel Close to Family This Christmas
Prayer is the best place to start, but here are a few simple ways to share the season when you are apart:
- Pray together on a video call. Pick one prayer from this list and take turns reading it.
- Send a card with a prayer inside. Write out a verse and a short prayer just for them.
- Share a tradition from afar. Bake the same recipe or read the Christmas story at the same time. These family Christmas traditions with a Christian focus work even across the miles.
- Bless your own table. Even if your table is smaller this year, give thanks with one of these Christmas dinner prayers.
If your daughter or son has just moved out, this mother’s prayer for a daughter moving away from home may speak to your heart. And if a loved one is serving in the military this Christmas, you can pray this prayer for families of military personnel at war.
God Is Near to Your Family Tonight
Missing your family at Christmas is hard. But the same God who came to Bethlehem is with you in your home tonight. He is with your family in theirs. Keep praying for them. Keep reaching out. And trust that the One who holds your family together is never far away.
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