Use these easy steps with prompts, suggestions, and templates to discover ways to begin a prayer journal to deepen your relationship with the Lord.
Why Ought to You Begin A Prayer Journal?
No prayer is ever wasted and also you actually don’t want a prayer journal to speak to God (that’s a free present given to all of us!) however I’ve discovered it so extremely useful in my very own prayer life.
I wrestle with wandering ideas, long-winded rabbit trails, and all types of different distractions (squirrel!) once I’m praying in my head. Even with one of the best of intentions, my “quiet time” with the Lord turns right into a wild goose chase the place I find yourself making grocery lists as a result of I considered a last-minute addition and scrolling by way of Fb as a result of I picked up my telephone to lookup a Bible verse.
Once I write down my ideas, it helps me:
- keep targeted on what I actually need to discuss to God about.
- really feel extra related to Him as I write. When my ideas are bouncing round, it’s robust to really feel deeply related to Jesus. Once I’m setting issues apart to journal, I can extra simply quiet my ideas and repair my eyes on Him.
- course of my ideas and emotions extra totally.
- document my story – my ideas, emotions, circumstances, struggles, and victories. It’s so useful to have the ability to look again on the place I’ve been and what God has introduced me by way of and see what number of prayers He has answered alongside the way in which. I can’t wait to share these with my son as he grows as much as inform him all about God’s faithfulness in our lives!
How To Begin Your Prayer Journal
Step 1 – Decide Your Journal & Provides
I’m presently utilizing this Talia discbound journal from Amazon, however for years, I simply used no matter cheap college-ruled blank spiral notebook I might get my fingers on.
Don’t really feel like you need to do something fancy or costly. A very powerful a part of prayer journaling is doing it.
I just like the disc-bound journal as a result of I can:
- Lay it flat. This one is a massive deal to me. With notebooks, I all the time selected spiral certain as a result of anything would flop closed on me whereas I used to be writing, which drove me nuts. This one seamlessly stays open for me whereas I write!
- Add/take away/rearrange pages in my journal (even when they aren’t the identical dimension because the pocket book). I like to have the ability to add significant issues like printed pages, Bible verses on index playing cards, Bible research, postcards, invites, prayer lists, and sermon notes to the identical pocket book. (I take advantage of the TUL discbound hole punch so as to add printed pages).
- Fold over onto itself, taking over much less house. I don’t want a full desk house to put out your complete splayed-out journal. Identical to a spiral journal, it folds over (and the discs don’t get in the way in which almost as a lot as a 3-ring binder).
- Use more room on every web page for writing. The disc holes don’t lengthen far into the web page, which supplies me extra room to write down.
Any pen or pencil and paper will do, however, after attempting nearly each pen and pencil on the market, I’ve discovered pens I actually love. I desire actually fantastic traces in my writing so I often use these ultra-fine black Pilot pens for many of my writing.
Once I need to add a splash of shade, I pull out my set of Staedtler Fineliner pens.
Step 2 – Decide Your Prayer Journaling Template
You’re welcome to incorporate no matter sections in your private prayer journal as you’d like, however I extremely advocate utilizing my Prayer Journal Bundle. It’s what I take advantage of myself and it’s done-for-you and able to print to start out utilizing in your quiet occasions ASAP.
In case you are simply beginning out with prayer journaling, don’t overcomplicate issues. Writing even one sentence a day can begin an exquisite behavior! Decide a couple of sections you’re most drawn to, begin there, and add or take them away as you’d like.
I’ve discovered that sure sections are extra helpful in sure seasons. Once I’m fighting my id and confidence in Christ, I ensure that to incorporate each day reminders of my id in Christ. In different seasons, I focus extra on the names of God.
Listed below are some ideas for sections to incorporate:
- Date – That is actually useful for flipping again and seeing how God has reworked you over time – I all the time overlook dates except they’re written down!
- Gratitude/Answered Prayers/Reward – There are so many benefits to starting your day with thankfulness in your coronary heart and in your prayer journal. It’s an exquisite strategy to acknowledge God working in your life and expertise extra peace, pleasure, and contentment. In case you get caught, I’ve 31 gratitude journal prompts here that may assist get your artistic juices flowing.
- Confession – I haven’t seen many prayer journals embrace this part and I’m not totally positive why as a result of confessing our sins and asking for His forgiveness is such an essential a part of connecting with God.
- Bible verses – Clearly, having God’s Phrase as part of your prayer time is essential! Selecting to repair your thoughts on the Reality is so useful. In case you’re unsure the place to start out, I’ve lists of Bible verses on all kinds of topics you’ll be able to look by way of to search out one thing that matches what you’re going by way of proper now.
- Prayer Requests – I wish to hold a each day listing of prayer requests which might be on my coronary heart at that second, in addition to ongoing lists of prayer requests which might be extra long-term (like for missionaries, Compassion Worldwide youngsters we assist, therapeutic, our nation, and many others). I included each ongoing and each day lists within the Prayer Journal Bundle.
- Your Id In Christ – In case you are fighting low self-confidence or low vanity, it is a fantastic part to incorporate. I embrace over 30 examples of your id in Christ within the journaling bundle, however you can too use these Bible Verses on your identity to write down your individual.
- Traits of God/Names of God – Realizing who you might be is essential however understanding who God is is much more essential. Studying the names of God has been so good for me to study extra about God’s character and learning to recognize His voice.
- Feelings Test-In – I’m an enormous feeler so that is all the time an important part for me. Some days it’s a fast phrase or two and typically it’s paragraphs of my processing my emotions with the Lord.
- Journal Prompts – Feeling caught and probably not positive what to write down about? Pre-written journal prompts may be actually useful in getting your ideas rolling. I’ve 10 journal prompts for your quiet time here that you just’re welcome to print and use for your self.
- Area To Share – Give your self house simply to share your ideas and emotions with God. Generally I write phrases, typically I draw photos that come to thoughts, and typically I draw lyrics to hymns or worship songs on my thoughts – something that makes you are feeling related to the Lord.
- Area to Pay attention – Do not forget that conversations are two-sided (I point out it as a result of I typically overlook!), so don’t overlook to depart house so that you can take heed to the Lord and write down something you hear from Him. If you wish to study extra concerning the thought of listening to the Lord, a earlier pastor wrote a very inspiring book called “More” on the subject that actually helped deepen my very own relationship with God.
Please don’t really feel like you should embrace all of these directly! All the ideas above are sections I’ve included in my prayer journal in a single season of my life or one other, however by no means all on the similar time.
Step 3 – Decide A Day by day Prayer Journaling Time
Please, don’t skip this step.
If prayer journaling is new for you, it takes intentionality to start out a brand new behavior. It’s really easy to undergo your day like regular, climb into mattress, after which notice – “Eek! I meant to journal, however forgot!” We’re creatures of behavior and it’s really easy to do!
Ideas For Creating A New Behavior
1. Decide a time that works properly in your schedule.
I extremely advocate very first thing within the morning to start out your time without work on the correct foot, however there are seasons of life that don’t make that very straightforward (once I had a new child, I didn’t even know what time “very first thing within the morning” meant and first-morning naptime labored significantly better throughout these months!).
I wish to allocate at the least 20 minutes to actually give myself time for my ideas to cease racing and to actually dig into some deep dialog with the Lord, however begin the place you might be! Even 5 minutes is a superb funding into your relationship with God.
2. Set a reminder alarm.
If you’re beginning a brand new behavior of any form, it’s laborious to recollect to try this new factor, even when now we have one of the best of intentions, as a result of it’s out of your routine.
I wish to set an alarm on my telephone to go off on the time I picked as an additional reminder to assist me observe by way of on my good intentions.
3. Pair your new behavior with a longtime behavior.
Will you do your prayer journaling whilst you drink your morning espresso? After your exercise? Earlier than breakfast? after your alarm goes off? Proper after dropping your children off at college?
Connecting this new behavior of prayer journaling with one thing you already do recurrently is simply one other approach that will help you construct this new behavior into your life long-term.
4. Consistency is best than perfection.
Follow, observe, observe. Attempt your greatest to sit down down along with your prayer journal day-after-day, even when it’s only for a couple of minutes.
Give your self grace that you just gained’t all the time have the “excellent” quiet occasions. One thing is all the time higher than nothing and the extra constant you might be, the extra this behavior of prayer journaling will simply really feel like a part of your regular life.
And that’s the aim! Connecting with the Lord needs to be an everyday, constant behavior – in each season, in each emotion, in each schedule change.
It is likely one of the best possible methods to remain rooted in His Phrase and in His love, taking a look at life with religion eyes.
Rejoice all the time, pray with out ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for that is the need of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Step 4 – Begin Journaling!
That’s all there may be to it! You’ve gotten your supplies, you could have a fundamental construction in your time with pattern journal prompts…now, all there may be left to do is write!
On my greatest days, I like to create a relaxed atmosphere for myself to prayer journal – a candle, some instrumental worship music, a clear house to write down (typically outdoor if it’s good!).
However please don’t assume that’s a prerequisite for prayer journaling! You’re going to have imperfect days. Some days on this season of my life, I’m journaling two phrases at a time sitting in a pile of Legos with a bouncy, chatty toddler. You may adapt prayer journaling to suit into any season of your life!
Prayer journaling persistently is a lot extra essential than journaling completely.
Embrace your present season and permit your self the pliability to make it give you the results you want. The aim is to get within the behavior of connecting with the Lord and deepening your relationship with Him, it doesn’t matter what that appears like particularly for you.
Comfortable prayer journaling!
