Not too long ago, our pastor was teaching on Sunday night about prayer, and having a kind of (socially distanced) “round table” discussion about what our individual prayer lives looked like (with volunteers from the congregation). The topic of prayer journaling was what caught my ear.
This was something I had already tried six years ago, for quite some time, and didn’t find useful… so why am I bringing it to you here?
Why to Use a Prayer Journal
I could tell you “how” to use a prayer journal, but since there are no “one-size-fits-all” answers, I will instead talk about WHY (and what changed my mind).
When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River (Joshua 3-4), twelve men were called to take up stones from the middle of the river, and carry them and set them in their camp as a way to remember and tell their children what God had done (Joshua 4:6-7).
This story illustrates that God wants us to remember what he has done for us.
What Changed My Mind about Prayer Journaling
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As much as we tell ourselves “we will remember”, we tend to forget.
All of the facts above wouldn’t have made a bit of difference in my decision whether or not to use a prayer journal, however, unless our pastor had put a few pieces together.
He suggested that instead of simply writing prayers (which is totally fine, but I didn’t care for this which is why I stopped) write your prayer request with a date at the top of a blank page. When your prayer is answered, come back and write HOW it was answered, along with another date.
Then, when it feels like your prayers are going unheard, you can go back and look at all of the answered prayers.
Ready to work on your prayer life, too? My current read is Dangerous Prayers by Craig Groeschel. One of my best friends recommended it to me, and it’s been a very enlightening read.
My Current Process
Currently, having just started (again), I write the topic at the top of a blank page (one page minimum per topic) and the date. Then, when the prayer is answered, I write the answer and date – but here’s the difference from what I wrote above.
I use three dividers in my prayer journaling:
- Behind the first divider is “unanswered prayers” or “ongoing prayers”
- the second divider is “prayers partially answered” or “unfinished prayers” (will explain momentarily)
- the third is “answered prayers”
Numbers one and three are pretty self explanatory. But number two kind of needs an example.
We have been praying to grow our family. We started trying after four years of marriage, and tried for a year before I got pregnant. I wrote the date we started trying, and the date the prayer was “partially answered”. Then, when I got pregnant again, I wrote the date the prayer was “partially answered”. When our family is complete, I will write the date the last child was born, and move the page to live behind the third divider.
How This is Changing My Prayer Life
Now, when I pray, I can look at the top of each page in the first two sections while prayer journaling to remember major prayer requests, along with my other requests. Prior to this my prayer life was… very unorganized, to put it mildly.
I’d pray throughout the day, but not necessarily remember many specific requests (or, sadly, how those prior requests had been answered).
Is this type of post right up your alley? You’ll love Demonic Activity Versus Mental Illness, a Biblical look at the differences between the two (and why they are NOT the same).
Do you use a prayer journal? I’d love to hear your tips and tricks on how you make it work for you. Let me know in the comments below!
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
[…] my prayer life and made me start a new prayer journal after the journal-free years mentioned above, Prayer Journaling Transformation not only explains why I changed my mind, but HOW it changed my prayer life and what the small […]