Prayer Journal? Thinking of starting one but don’t know how or where to start?
On today’s post, I would like to share with you some tips and ideas on how you can set up and create your own DIY prayer journal. You’ll find prayer journaling ideas for beginners in case you are confused how to begin this journey.
In my previous post, I shared some tips on How You Can Improve Your Prayer Life based on Jesus’ Model.
In this post, we are going to focus on Two Main Keypoints:
- What is Prayer Journal and Different Examples of Prayer Journals I Have Used Over the Years
- How to Set Up Your Own Prayer Journal
Prayer Journal is a form of praying where you write down your prayers and talk to God.
I have been keeping a prayer journal for many years. I have been prayer journaling even before I knew what the term is.
It really helps keep my life in order and my priorities right.
My prayer journal has evolved over time as I mature in Christ.
Let me show you different kinds of prayer journals I have used over time:
First: The Old School Style – Notebook
This is just a free form of prayer journaling where you basically write down your thoughts like you are writing in a diary but you are addressing God.
This is the type of prayer journaling I did for so many years especially when I was just starting and not even a Christian yet.
To be honest, If you looked over my old journals, the pattern is mostly “me,me,me”. It is all about my prayer requests.
Because when I was young, I always thought that prayer is like that. It is about asking God for what you want Him to do for you.
This is mostly one-way communication because I am always the one talking and not really hearing anything from God.
Second: Prayer Journal with Prompts
This is a journal where there are prompts for you to fill in. It has sections so it will motivate you to think and reflect.
There are many journals out there but I like the part where it has suggested Bible reading.
This type of prayer journal has helped me gain more structure in my prayer routine especially when I wanted to grow in my prayer life.
Third: Prayer Binder
What I like about Prayer Binder is the flexibility it gives. You can print lots of Free Printables online and create your own based on different categories you want.
The only downside I had when I was using binder is that it’s too bulky for me. But I learned from that and decided to use a smaller type for War Binder I created on this post.
Fourth: Digital Prayer Journal
This is also the same as the Prayer Binder. There are printables that you can fill in online and then print them if you want.
Or what I did – I simply open a Word Document and just type whatever it is that I want to tell God. It is like my “old-school notebook” model but you are doing it digitally.
I think I only did it for a few weeks since I prefer writing down things when I am journaling. I also do not like to keep opening my laptop every time I want to pray.
Fifth: Back to Old School Notebook
I used different journals over time and they all helped me in some ways but I realized that as I mature in Christ, then my journal should also be able to cope up with that.
My predicament for the past few years is that my prayer tends to be repetitious. I feel like I am just writing the same stuff I wrote a few days ago.
Then I realized that my prayer life seemed to be just one way. There is no dialogue between me and God.
I don’t hear much from Him because I don’t give Him a chance to speak to me. I prayed earnestly that God will reveal Himself more to me.
And so last year up to this year, my prayer journal has always been a regular notebook like this.
In the past, I still kept a prayer list for thanksgiving, forgiveness and requests but they are in a different journal.
I also created my War Binder which I shared in this video. I decided to create sections for Worship, Thanksgiving, Forgiveness and Prayer Requests so I don’t have to keep writing them over and over. I can just recite them every time I pray.
As of this posting, I keep a simple notebook for my daily prayer journal. I do my daily Bible reading first then choose a Scripture that spoke to me the most. Then I reflect on that Bible verse and pattern my prayer after the verse.
I would honestly say that this type of prayer journaling is what drew me closer the most to Jesus.
It is focused more on reflecting on His Words and how I can evaluate my life in light of the Scripture.
It is continuously asking myself how is this verse relevant to my life and what is it prompting me to do?
It is more of like probing and really digging into what Jesus is telling me here.
Now, let’s move on to the second part.
How to Set Up Your Prayer Journal
First, Decide on What Medium To Use
As you can see from my examples, Prayer Journal can come in many forms.
Choose one that you can commit to. Do not be pressured on which one to choose because your journal might evolve and change as you mature spiritually.
Remember that a prayer journal isn’t meant to be another tedious item to keep track of. It’s meant to be something to inspire you to write a letter to God.
You can buy or repurpose something you already have at home.
Second, Decide on What Categories to Include
If we’re going to look at Jesus’ example, you can include categories like:
- Worship
- Thanksgiving
- Petition or Prayer Request
- You can divide it into:
- Yourself
- Family
- Friends and Loved Ones
- Church and Neighbors
- Nation and the World
- You can divide it into:
- Repentance
- Deliverance
- Bible Verse
You can also add optional things like:
- Space for Prayer Tracking to see what prayers have been answered and when and how they’ve been answered.
- Free Journaling
- Maybe you can draw, doodle or just braindump what is in your mind at the moment that is trying to hinder you from approaching God
You can do it in different ways. You can divide your notebook or binder into different categories just like what I did in my War Binder.
For instance, all your worship is in one category, all your prayer requests on the next and so on.
You can choose if you want to do it daily or weekly.
Some people also like to divide it by day. So for instance they have Sunday to Saturday and then they have headings and empty boxes for each category.
If you decide to use binder, always check online for free printables or invest on some.
It really depends on what you feel will work best for you in your situation. You can always modify it any time.
Third, Define a Theme for Your Prayer Journal
What is it that you would like to accomplish with your journal?
Is it to keep track of your prayer requests so that eventually you can have these “stones of remembrance” of God’s faithfulness in your life?
Is it to help you concentrate while you pray?
You see, it doesn’t matter if you repeat your prayer. If that’s how you communicate with God effectively, then that’s okay! Because as you spend more time with God, you’ll mature and eventually your prayers will evolve as well.
By defining your theme and what you are aiming to develop, it is easier to set up your prayer journal on how it will work best for you. You will also know what tools to use to match your goal.
Fourth, Use Your Prayer Journal
Okay you did not go through all these trouble just to keep your prayer journal in the corner, right?
So now, let’s follow Jesus’ tips. Go to your secret place and start using it.
At first you might find it weird but as you get used to it, you will be able to adjust, add, remove or transfer things in different journals or binder.
You can add stickers, use colorful pens, whatever it is that will inspire you to keep writing. Do not forget that the main purpose is to draw closer to God and talk to Him.
You just have to keep doing it for quite some time until you find what works and not.
Now, remember that having a prayer journal doesn’t mean you can’t pray your usual prayer. Of course you still can. I still pray at night until I fall asleep. I still pray before I drive. I still pray when I create videos and blog posts.
The beauty of keeping a prayer journal is establishing a routine and gaining clarity by seeing things on paper. You can be free without any judgment while you are pouring your heart out to God.
Now for your assignment, go through your office supplies and try to think how you can repurpose it as Prayer Journal.
Please comment down below and tell us:
“What sections do you have or plan to include in your prayer journal?”
Hopefully this inspires you to create your very own prayer journal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Hi! I’m Kaye, a journal enthusiast. My blog is dedicated to sharing practical tips to help you get closer to Jesus and grow your faith. Read along!
Thank you for your blog. I too have journaled for many years. Since I was 14 and I will soon be 70. It was in 1993 that my journaling turned into prayer journaling. This was the year my daughter was killed. Through journaling my prayers to God, He delivered me from the darkness of the mental anguish and trauma I suffered because of her death. I now help to create prayer journals for others as gifts. As you have stated, my journaling has evolved over time. It is a precious time I commune with Him everyday. I ask God to bless your ministry as you share about prayer journaling with others.
Thank you so much for sharing Vicki. That must been a truly hard time for you I imagine. So happy to hear you found a way to cope up through prayers and journaling. They helped me in my depression as well.