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You have been reading the story of my prayer journaling journey for the past few days.  Hopefully, I haven’t bored you to tears yet.  However, just in case I wanted to share with you the stories of others as well.  So I connected with other prayer journalers and got them to share their stories.

I will be sharing them over the next few days in this 30 Days of Prayer Journaling Prompts series. Today is Day 12 of the series.  Remember, you can find Day 1 here or a summary of all the days in this series on this page.

I know how powerful that prayer journaling has been in my life, so I was sure that others felt this way as well.  Boy was I right!  Just as I suspected.  Prayer journaling is an important practice for all ages.

Prayer Journaling is an Important Practice for All Ages

So today I would like to introduce you to Kristen Barry.  Kristen is a second-year political science student at Florida State University. She started her blog at the beginning of college and writes lifestyle, college, and faith content. She also started her own Etsy store, PaintedGracebyKS. She is currently an executive board member of her sorority and hopes to attend law school after graduation.

What I was excited about when I learned about Kristen is that she is a young person who enjoys prayer journaling, showing you that this practice is good for all ages.

Kristen only began prayer journaling this year as she decided to make it a goal this year.  This means she has been prayer journaling for 4 months.

I was anxious to hear what Kristen’s favorite thing about prayer journaling was.  She shared, “My favorite thing about prayer journaling is that it keeps me accountable to daily prayer and time with the Lord, and I like the physical aspect of filling up the pages of a journal, compared to just praying to myself. I like to write down my prayers so that I can also add in passages or quotes from devotionals, Bible verses, or songs that are relevant to my prayer, and good reminders to keep me in the prayerful mindset when it is more difficult to keep my mind focused.”

I asked Kristen to share with us what advice she would give someone who is a new prayer journaler or wants to begin the practice of prayer journaling.

She replied, ” I would highly recommend pairing prayer journaling with a daily devotional (I love the book ‘Jesus Calling’), be it a book, app, or website. The daily prompt is a good place to start, especially when you don’t know how to begin or open the daily prayer, which was my issue when I started. I’d say just go for it!

God knows what’s in your heart and mind already, He just wants you to bring it before Him and spend time with Him. It’s easy to feel a little intimidated or not know what to say, but prayer is so personal, there’s really few ‘wrong’ ways to do it, as long as you’re spending intentional time with Our Father.”

Good advice huh?

Here’s Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt:

Write about the things that make you smile.  Record your thoughts and feelings about those things here.

We are continuing on our 30 days of prayer journaling journey.  If you’re just joining us today is Day 11 in a series of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts.  You can find Day 1 here and a summary of all 30 days will be here as we go along.

I have been sharing my prayer journaling story for the past several days. . . that part of this series started on Day 6.  If you want to read my prayer journaling story from the beginning.

Today is the last day of my story, but not the last day of this series.  I will share a total of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts so you’re sure to develop the habit of prayer journaling.  I want you to experience the difference it can make in your life.

The rest of the story . . .

Because I gave him those few minutes each day I was able to hear him speak when he told me that my husband was “the one.”  I had spent just a few minutes praying for our first date.  I remember saying, “Lord, if this guy isn’t worth spending time on, please tell me, I don’t want to go through another heartbreak. I don’t want to waste my time on someone who I wouldn’t consider marrying.”  I had just come out of a long relationship that had been an emotional roller coaster to say the very least.  Because I spent time asking God his opinion, He soon revealed to me just how worthwhile spending time with that night’s date would prove to be.

Then, another time, I prayed for months over a decision I had to make about college.  I had for many years wanted to attend a Christian college, however, when I got there I was desperately homesick.  The Christian school I had dreamed of going to, though I enjoyed very much, was three hours from home and my anxiety levels were high as I sat all alone in my dorm room on Sunday nights after returning to school. With my mom, dad, younger brother and fiancée miles away, I sat there alone and ached to be with them.  After many prayers and written chats with God in my prayer journal, I soon realized it would be okay to return home after just one semester at the Christian school to attend a secular community college closer to home.

Because I took the time to write down my prayers, I was able to see what God was leading me to do, and how He was guiding the answers to my concerns and requests as I poured them out to Him time and time again.  I am therefore grateful for the blank, white pages of each journal that my mom bought me – each of them empty but filled with amazing potential. They were an open canvas to be filled with my words – words that described my hopes, my fears, my dreams, and my aspirations, all of which I can now see God’s hand in, making my faith in today, greater than ever before. All because I took the time to spend some time writing notes to my Savior on the pages of a prayer journal.

Now I challenge you to just start – – if you haven’t already started your prayer journaling journey today.   

Here is Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt:  Journal about what embarrasses you the most. What makes you blush? Reveal your thoughts on why you think this is. 

or go here to purchase my book, 30 Days of Prayer Journaling Prompts Journal

We are continuing on our 30 days of prayer journaling journey.  If you’re just joining us today is Day 10 in a series of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts.  You can find Day 1 here and a summary of all 30 days will be here as we go along.

I have been sharing my prayer journaling story for the past several days. . . that part of this series started on Day 6.  If you want to read my prayer journaling story from the beginning.  There are also tips on Day 5 when I share my process of prayer journaling.

Now here’s more of my prayer journaling story and how I look back on those days even now – – –

It is inspiring to read prayers written during my teen years and realize they were answered even if it was years later. It is even more encouraging to see how God put together the pieces, helping me to yearn for His plan, rather than seeking my own desires. My own plans began to change as I continually poured out my heart to Him on the pages of a journal. At times my cries were quiet, while other times they were passionately desperate. Then there were times when I would praise Him rather than putting out a list of requests, while some entries read more like a wish list than a conversation with my Savior.

If you were to read the pages of my journals you would see the peaks and valleys of my relationship with my Lord. You would witness the growth and maturation of my faith. I remain in awe of how far I’ve come and how much different I am now than I was at the young, naive age of 15. Like most teens, I thought I had it all figured out. But now, like most adults, I know that I have not. I am thankful that I listened to my youth minister and gave God the time He deserved in my life.

I will continue this story tomorrow so be sure to come back…tomorrow is my last day to share my story.  Would you like to share what you’ve learned so far from your prayer journaling experiences I’d love for you to leave me a comment below:

Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt:  What would you like to change about your life? Journal about these things and then create aplan to make it happen.

We are continuing on our 30 days of prayer journaling journey.  If you’re just joining us today is Day 9 in a series of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts.  You can find Day 1 here and a summary of all 30 days will be here as we go along.

If you’ve been reading this series you know how important I believe prayer journaling can be to the life of a Christian. Today we continue with my story of how I began to use a prayer journal and how it has impacted my life.

As I shared yesterday,

My prayer journal opened that door for me, allowing me to focus and share with someone who already knew me inside and out. I needed to be open to Him for my sake more than His.

This was the only way I was going to get to know Him, truly, deeply, as I needed to in order to be more like Him. I soon discovered this as the ultimate goal of Christianity, though it isn’t a goal we’ll ever fully reach. Our whole lives are a process of becoming more like Him, but it is a journey rather than a destination. We never stop becoming. He, Jesus Christ, is the only person who ever lived that is truly perfect and that’s how it will remain. However, He wants us to be more like Him, to get as close as we humanly can. This is why we continue to live for Him daily. Even though we will never reach perfection, at least not in this life, it is the journey that matters most.

There is, however, one thing we can reach. Through my hand-written journaled prayers, I have seen how God has guided me in every step toward the various milestones and places in my life that He had planned for me. I have seen His hand at work as I have fulfilled some of his plans and purposes for my life. Now, I can look back at a decade of hand-written prayer requests and see how He has slowly, over time, answered them.  Sometimes the answer was yes, and sometimes it was no. Still, sometimes it was sooner, while other times it was later. Nevertheless, He always answered.

I will continue this story tomorrow so be sure to come back . . .

Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt:  Today simply journal about your day, significant moments, and things you want to remember, maybe even the things you’d rather forget.

You might be interested in getting the 30 Days of Prayer Journaling Prompts Journal – download the printable or buy the paperback.  

We are continuing on our 30 days of prayer journaling journey.  If you’re just joining us today is Day 8 in a series of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts.  You can find Day 1 here and a summary of all 30 days will be here as we go along.

Continuing My Prayer Journaling Journey

We are continuing on my story of how I began to use a prayer journal.  This was actually a very life-altering event in my life as you may have learned if you read yesterday’s post.  I believe that is why prayer journaling is so important to me today. I realize what a difference it made in my life – – let’s continue the story. . .

As a result, my first prayer journal was filled to the brim as I began my journey, not as a new Christian since I was saved as a young child, but as a revived Christian who finally understood what being a Christian meant. It was at this time in my life that I began to understand that being Christian was more than just saying the right prayer, more than just a ticket to heaven, more than just going through the baptismal waters. I realized that it was about a relationship with someone, a very real Someone, the Savior of my life, the one who had died to wash away my sins and wanted to help me through the ups and downs of life.

God wanted to help me understand why my rebellion was wrong, and He also wanted to give me the hope that I needed to face the days ahead. He wanted to guide me in avoiding the same temptations I had just succumbed to even tougher temptations that were still to come. He was going to be there with me for the long haul. But not only did I need to allow Him to do so, I needed to get to truly know Him. My prayer journal opened that door for me, allowing me to focus and share with someone who already knew me inside and out. I needed to be open to Him for my sake more than His.

I will continue this story tomorrow so be sure to come back . . .

Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt:  Write about a “what if” moment. Whatever you think of to fill in the blank
“What if” Journal your thoughts because most likely whatever you put into the blank is something you need to write down your feelings about. This will be a good process for you.

We are continuing on our 30 days of prayer journaling journey.  If you’re just joining us today is Day 7 in a series of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts.  You can find Day 1 here and a summary of all 30 days will be here as we go along.

My Prayer Journaling Journey

Now let’s continue with my prayer journaling story. I hope you’re enjoying it.

At that time, I willingly and knowingly went against the wishes of my parents and at the urgings of an incredibly influential, extremely negative older guy entered into a relationship with him. This relationship led to a string of lies fed to my parents by not only me but my friends as I attempted to cover up the harsh reality that had become my life. After months of late-night phone calls that I was never supposed to make, visits from the guy without supervision that were never supposed to occur and a near life-changing event that was only stopped by sheer panic, my parents finally discovered what was happening. Thanks to Godly parents, I was blessed to end that dangerous defiance right there, nipping my rebelliousness in the bud. Their loving influence and hard discipline steered me back onto the proper path.

Prior to this, I had been writing in a journal of sorts, yet the entries were full of stories detailing my rebellious, dangerous activities. These hand-written recordings of my escapades are actually what led my parents to discover my rebellious nature and call my hand on it.

Therefore, when my mom gave me a new journal that Christmas I was hesitant to even use it. Yet then I remembered learning about keeping a prayer journal as opposed to a typical diary-type journal and I began to feel God calling me to write in this new way. This prayer journal concept involved writing down feelings, thoughts, dreams and written prayers that you would share with the Lord, much like writing a letter to Him. I began to get excited about this idea, as I had already poured out my heart to God at the altar at church one Sunday. I walked the aisle and confessed my backslidden, rebellious choices, ways and rebellion to my pastor as a way of confessing before men what I had done. Writing prayers instead of accounts of my daily habits was not only just an intriguing concept to me but one I felt would prove to be much a more worthwhile and safe idea.

I will continue this story tomorrow so be sure to come back . . .  If you missed the first part of this story you can find part one here.

Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt:  Record the things that inspire you the most. Maybe you have just met someone inspirational lately. What makes them inspiring to you?

We are continuing on our 30 days of prayer journaling journey.  If you’re just joining us today is Day 6 in a series of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts.  You can find Day 1 here and a summary of all 30 days will be here as we go along.

I thought I would share with you my journey of beginning to use a prayer journal. This is my prayer journaling story almost word for word. Hopefully, it will encourage and inspire you to do so as well.

My Life Long Prayer Journaling Journey

Prayer journaling is something I have been doing for more than two decades. I began in my early teen years, using it as a way for me to focus during my time alone with God. My youth minister was the first person who encouraged me to do this daily. He told us how much God wanted to spend time with us, and how it was like spending time with a trusted friend. He urged us to carve out time during our busy schedules of talking on the phone, doing homework, going to band practice, and long days of school to spend time with our Maker.

Thankfully, I listened. I began using the time just before bed every night to do just as my youth minister had inspired me to do. I will never forget my first prayer journal. My mom stuffed it deep inside my hand-knitted stocking at Christmas that year. At 15, I  had just gone through the worst year of my life. I was just starting my freshman year in high school and I had just gone through what was, at that time and still is to this day, my most rebellious phase.

I will continue this story tomorrow so be sure to come back . . .

Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt: Write about your mother. Maybe you know her very well, or maybe you don’t. What feelings are brought up when you think of her? How are you alike and how are you different?  Write about this.

If you have never been a journal user and you’re not sure how to even get started you will want to sign up for my 7 Day Journaling Ecourse.

 

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. This means at no additional cost to you we may receive a commission if you purchase a product from one of our links. We only recommend products we love.

We are continuing on our 30 days of prayer journaling journey.  If you’re just joining us today is Day 5 in a series of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts.  You can find Day 1 here and you can find a summary of all the prayer journaling prompts as well.

I know we’ve been talking about prayer journaling for five days now, but I thought you might appreciate a few more tips, these are my secrets to a simple prayer journaling process which are guaranteed to help you become an avid prayer journaler.

Beginning the process of journaling is simple.  As a Christian for 28 years, I have spent much time in prayer and have used a prayer journal for the majority of those years.  It took some time to develop a technique, which I was comfortable with, however over the years I have finally developed a proven technique so easy and encouraging, that I still use it today.

The Process of Prayer Journaling

I begin my quiet time each day by using my prayer journal.  This begins with simply writing out my thoughts and feelings about the day, struggles I am going through, things that are worrying me, things that I am excited about, anything and everything that is on my mind.  This can be very freeing and soothing to do.  I then take time out to either write down my prayers in a bulleted list form by topic or in a more of a phrase form, such as “Help me Lord to rely on you for my needs.”  After doing this, I feel that it is also important to give God thanks and to praise Him.  Therefore, I do the same thing with a list of thanksgivings and praises.  I attempt each day to thank and to praise God for as many things or more than I asked of Him.

Finally, I present this to God in silent prayer and ask Him to lead me and guide me in my devotional time.  For my devotional time, I usually try to read both from the Bible itself and often times from an encouraging devotional or inspirational book.  I draw from the reading what I feel God is attempting to tell me and I record in my journal these thoughts.

I hope that these simple instructions will help you to begin your process of prayer journaling.  It is my prayer that you will not only fill this journal but that you will need many others in your future relationship with the Lord.

”Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt:  Journal about your weaknesses. Does it bother you that these things are your weaknesses? How do you deal with them and overcome them?

We are continuing on our 30 days of prayer journaling journey.  If you’re just joining us today is Day 4 in a series of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts.  You can find Day 1 here and a summary of all 30 days will be here as we go along.

Prayer is not meant to be complicated.  We as humans are the ones who complicate the process.  We want to think we have to pray a certain way, sit a certain way or be in a certain place – not so.  We can say anything to God, and we can pray with our eyes wide open, or our eyes closed, on our knees, or standing, in our room, or even outside under a tree.  The possibilities of our communicating with God are endless.  He tells us that we are to pray under any and every circumstance.  The Bible tells us that we should pray daily. One of the ways we can pray is through journaling.

What the Bible Says About Prayer

Prayer journaling helps to strengthen your daily prayer time with God.  There is something very powerful about writing down your thoughts and feelings.  The entire book of Psalms is actually a collection of David’s and other writer’s prayers; it’s their feelings in written form, one of which says,

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice, in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”  Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

God wants us to come before Him in prayer.  He then honors us and begins to reveal His plans for our lives.  Prayer is the lifeline to God and to those plans.

Keeping a prayer journal helps you to keep up with your thoughts, feelings, and concerns; writing these things down helps to confirm them and to begin to see God working to answer your prayers.  It serves as a record that you can later review, and rejoice in the many times God answered your prayers.  It will help to strengthen your faith and give you an effective testimony to be a witness for Christ to others.

Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt:  Journal about your strengths. What are you good at, what comes as natural to you as breathing?

If you are new to journaling and not sure where to start you might like my FREE 7 Day Journaling Ecourse.

 

We are continuing on our 30 days of prayer journaling journey.  If you’re just joining us today is Day 3 in a series of 30 days of prayer journaling prompts.  You can find Day 1 here and a summary of all 30 days will be here as we go along. 

Do you have habits in your life?  Whether they be good habits, like going on a daily walk or bad habits like biting your nails we all have habits in our lives.  Today, we are going to talk about how to make prayer journaling a daily habit in your life.

Daily writing in a journal can be a difficult habit to form, but once you do, it can become addictive. I started journaling around 1994 when I was only a teenager and I haven’t stopped since. Some habit huh?

Many people say that they enjoy journaling because it allows them to freely release their thoughts and feelings. Therefore, what could be a greater way to release your frustrations or record your victories than to start journaling?

Some people like the idea of others being able to one day read their entries and admire their accomplishments and struggles while others loathe the thought of someone else ever reading their recorded thoughts. Well, if you want someone to read them, pass them on to them, however, if you do not just destroy them after you’ve filled the journal to the brim with entries. Either way, do what works for you.

Why not try to develop a new and very worthy habit by making journaling a part of your daily routines, specifically a part of the time you spend with the Lord.  

How to Make Prayer Journaling a Daily Habit

Set up a specific time to journal each day.  Habits are easier to keep up if you prepare for them ahead of time.  I do my quiet time early in the day each day.  Setting a specific time for your prayer time is key to developing a positive habit of writing in a prayer journal daily.

Have a dedicated place for your prayer time.  This might be a comfortable chair in the corner of your bedroom, a swing on your front porch, or somewhere else around your home.  However, preparing a basic of your resources for writing in a journal daily and having a dedicated space that you can look forward to going to each day to write can help you to develop prayer journaling into a daily habit.

Today’s Prayer Journaling Prompt:  Describe the worst feeling in the world, the one thing that makes you feel the worst. Then write about how you deal with that feeling.

You might also be interested in getting your own 30 Days of Prayer Journaling Prompts journal to help you follow along with this series. These are available in both printable and hard copy.  You will have everything you need all in one place to get started with the practice of prayer journaling.