My Personal Story of Falling into Prayer Journaling
Journaling is a way of paying attention to our lives-a way of knitting the vast ball of our experiences in the presence of the Holy Spirit to learn from them.
from the Spiritual Discipline Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
I began prayer journaling out of a sense of desperation. Dealing with the emotions of my marriage falling apart, yet having to be strong for my boys-both emotionally and physically, was overwhelming.
At the time, I had no name for it. I didn’t even know it was considered a spiritual discipline.
What I did know was: my burden eased when I wrote my feelings and concerns out on paper and presented them to God.
I drew near to God and He drew near to me.
I asked God everything – from everyday things like spending our money wisely to which activities the boys should be involved in and to deeper issues such as, “Would You please God heal the wound of insecurity my oldest felt from his dad leaving and no longer living with us?”
Prayer Journaling Requires Some Preparation
My first prayer journal was just a spiral notebook that the pages are now falling out of. Some of the print is even faded, and it is hard to read.
You do not have to be a writer and no one even has to be able to read it except you and God. Include all the good things God has done in your life and all the things you’re grateful for. Write down your concerns, prayers, and scriptures that have spoken to you that day.
- Buy a notebook or journal.
- Buy some pens. (Does anyone else have a pen monster in their home?)
- Place them in your prayer spot or prayer basket.
Six Reasons to Prayer Journal
Prayer Journaling Means You Are Now Sharing the Burden with God
Prayer Journaling is a physical way of taking our thoughts and presenting them before God. The Message translation for Philippians 4:6-7 reads…
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your Life.
Prayer Journaling Provides Us with a History We Can Return To
God continually told Israel to commemorate events of His works. In Joshua 4, God instructs Joshua to tell one man from each tribe to get a stone. The stone was to “serve as a sign among you” to remember how God had stopped the flow of the Jordan.
The stones were meant to be a “memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
How quickly our human minds forget how God worked in the past in our lives. Our written words of how He has answered prayer in our lives become our “stones.”
I now have twenty years of journals that I can look back on when I start to doubt how God has taken care of me, of my family, of all the situations we have faced in life.
In Conversations: The Message with Its Translator, Eugene Peterson writes:
Forgetfulness is one of the great breaches in our relationship with God, for when we forget his saving ways, either in biblical history or in our personal history, the results are disastrous. Making memorials, whether they are stone monuments or journal entries, is the best way to keep from forgetting how good he has been to us.
Record dates in your journal!
Prayer Journaling Takes Us Deeper in Scripture
Writing down scriptures is a way to cement them in your head. When I was first divorced, I recorded all the verses on forgiveness in my journal and continually went back to them.
Writing scripture prayers over you and your family is powerful. In those times, when you are rushed for time, open your notebook and pray out loud the scriptures God has given you for yourself and each child.
God has so consistently provided the right scriptures at the right time which I only remember because I recorded it in my prayer journal.
One Example
My ex-husband revelled in taking every issue to court. At one point he had hired two lawyers and I felt just like Jehoshaphat, powerless. God graciously gave me these scriptures which I copied in my journal,
Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you…2 Chronicles 20:2
O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us: nor do we know what to do, our eyes are on You.” 2 Chronicle 20:12
..thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15
Prayer Journaling Helps Us Process our Emotions
On the pages of a journal, in the privacy of a moment, we can take tentative steps into truth and scour our feelings, hurts, ideas and struggles before God.
from The Praying Life by Paul Miller
My prayer journals contain some pretty raw emotions. At one time, I held back, but how silly, God already knew what was in my heart.
Let me ask you. When you read Psalms, did the writers hold back? The Psalms are full of honest emotion.
When we are honest with our emotions before God: we see patterns; we see past wounds that are still affecting our lives today that need healing; sometimes, we sense conviction.
On the flip-side, we also see growth, where we are maturing in our walk with God, not in a fake, put on a mask type way, but in real and humble letting God shape us way.
Prayer Journaling Slows Us Down
The slow, cathartic act of writing your life down is grounding, a tether for the soul in the hurricane of the modern world. from the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry Jon Mark Comer
Slowing down and reflecting on where God shows up in ordinary routines… Spiritual Discipline Handbook
When we slow down, we become more grateful people. On the left page of my journal, I write a gratitude list: what am I thankful for that occurred the day before.
It provides reflection time before moving on to the next day. I have noticed a decline in my emotional health when I do not keep gratitude lists.
If concerns from the day before are left over, I present those to God on the right side.
Prayer Journaling Is Writing Your Story With God
Journaling is “awareness of God’s way of turning all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28)”. Spiritual Discipline Handbook
Finally, God and you are writing your story. Your story will not be like anyone else’s story. Your journey will be uniquely used by God.
As you begin, you will become aware of who you need to reach out to, who you need to pray for, who you need to forgive, where your next step of faith is.
Your words will take on form, and it will be the form of a beautiful God planned life.
When life makes sense, it becomes a journey, a spiritual adventure. Writing down the adventure as it happens gives us a feel for our place in the story God is weaving in our lives. Journaling helps us to become aware of the journey.
from the Praying Life by Paul Miller
Is Prayer Journaling Biblical?
Some people ask if prayer journaling is biblical. I think it is a resounding “yes!”. When I read the Psalms, I feel like I am reading someone else’s private prayer journal.
Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8
Prayer Journaling Questions to Get You Started
How do I feel today? What emotions arise?
Is there something I need to confess?
What burdens are heavy on my heart?
Are there scriptures that are speaking to me I would like to copy?
Who needs prayer? Is there a scripture prayer I can write for them?
What am I grateful for?
Are there truths about God you need to be reminded of? (subscribe below to get a free printable titled “Truths About God and Me”)
This is a simple rustic cornbread that goes well with chili, stew, or soup. Technically, corn is a grain which I limit in my diet, BUT sometimes we need a quick side-dish. This comes together in 20 minutes.
For a grain free Skillet “Corn” Bread, I recommend Danielle Walker’s recipe. It tastes great, but is a tad more time consuming.