At church last night we talked about prayer and I mentioned writing things down. After church I was approached about prayer journaling, so I decided to write this for not only the wonderful church lady but everyone else as well.
A prayer journal can help you track your prayer requests, or let you express personal thoughts between you and God. It is also a great way to be more intentional with your prayers. A prayer journal may be just the thing to help you be more precise with your prayers or more thankful for answered prayers. Like any other type of personal journal, this will be for your eyes only, unless you choose to share it. That means you can be free and open to say whatever you want in it. This is your private time with the Lord. Let’s look at how to keep a prayer journal.
1. Begin with a prayer for guidance – One of the first things you can do when starting your prayer journal is to pray for guidance on how to start.
2. Find a great place to do your journaling – This should be a place that you feel comfortable in, and that will be free of distractions. There are no rules – it can be your yard, your bedroom, or your back porch. The point is just that you carve out a special place just for this, so you will be more dedicated and motivated to stick with your prayer journal.
3. Write down your prayer requests – It’s important that you also be very specific. You can put your personal prayer requests and requests you have for your family, as well as requests that are made at church, that you hear online, or that friends ask of you directly.
4. Write what you’re grateful for – Gratitude is a very important part of the process. Take time to acknowledge all the things God does for you, and what you are grateful for in your life.
5. When a prayer request comes off your list remember to thank God. – This ties in to being grateful. Always go back to your prayer journal and give thanks for how God has worked in your life.
How to Choose a Journal
When choosing your journal, pick something that feels good to you. Pick a book or journal that you will enjoy writing in regularly, that is comfortable for you, and that you like the physical appearance of, so you will be drawn to using it daily.
That’s really the only criteria.
As you can see, keeping a prayer journal doesn’t have to be super difficult. You can be as creative and as flexible as you want. You can purchase a pre-set prayer journal to give you structure and just fill in the blanks, or you can start with a blank journal or a printable journal and do it custom to your needs.
Truthfully, keeping a journal is not something I’ve been consistent at in the past. But it is something I love to do now on a regular basis. I think it is wonderful to be able to look back and see how God has answered my prayers and spoken to me through scripture. I know He does, but to go back pen point when I prayed and when God spoke to me is awesome.