A Journal is something that some people use in their lives, even non-Christians. It is basically a record of the events or happenings in our lives. It is where people also write down their thoughts, feelings, hopes, and many other things. The things a person writes in his or her journal are not limited to the recording of happenings or one’s thoughts and feelings on a particular moment. A person can be creative about what content they put in their journal.
Heavenly Father, You have been faithful to me ever since I came into this world. May I be able to use my journal to remember everything that You have done for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
How To Set Up A Prayer Journal
What Is A Prayer Journal?
A prayer journal is just like a regular journal, but instead of putting one’s thoughts and feelings at a particular moment or jotting down specific events in a person’s life, a prayer journal is more like a record of the prayers that a person has prayed.
These prayer journal entries can be the current prayer points for which a person is praying. There might be concerns, hopes, and prayer requests that a person has in their current season of life. A prayer journal can also contain prayer points that a person has been praying for a long time. It could be a prayer that they have been praying for years or months.
Your prayer journal should also contain prayer points that are not yet answered, as well as those that God has already answered. You will have something to look back on by jotting those answered prayers down. With that said the prayers you write in your journal are not limited to “prayer requests,” whether they are things you are still praying for, already answered, or unanswered because God has something better waiting for you.
You can and should include prayers of thanksgiving and adoration toward God. When we look back through our prayer journal, we should not only see the records of our requests towards God but also how much we get to know more about God as time passes. Just as we should present our prayer requests to God, as stated in (Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6-7), we should also thank God, as written in (give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18), and grow in spiritual wisdom and understanding of who God is, just like how Paul prayed for in the church in Colossae, as written in Colossians 1:9-14.
How To Set Up A Prayer Journal
How To Set Up A Prayer Journal
Why Should You Have Your Own Prayer Journal?
While it is not a requirement and not necessarily something that makes Christians who use a prayer journal better than Christians who don’t, there are benefits in having a prayer journal that may help Christians in their walk with God.
As mentioned, whether they are present or past prayer requests, you should write down your prayers to God, both your requests and prayers of thanksgiving and adoration towards Him, where you uplift His name, for there is nothing like our God. The benefit is that there is something for you to look back on. Having something to look back on benefits us because it gives us a reminder of who God is.
In Joshua 4:1-7, God gave Joshua specific instructions on how to make the memorial. The memorial is actually made from twelve stones, which symbolize and serve as a reminder to Israel, especially the young children, who didn’t witness what happened—God’s power and faithfulness when He miraculously enabled Israel to cross the Jordan River by cutting off its water.
Our prayer journal serves a similar purpose. We write down our prayers and those that God has answered so that we can remember and look back on God’s providential care toward us. If God was able to care for us at all those times, how much more our future. Also, this reminds us of how we came to know God more and more at every step of our journey through the prayers of thanksgiving and adoration that we have written down. From knowing only about God’s love to how God, since eternity past, knew our sins and still chose to send His Son and save us, we can see how we incrementally grow in maturity as Christians. As we see the changes in what we pray for, like praying more and more for our sanctification and holiness, we can see how God’s grace continues working in our lives and sanctification.
That is why, even if a prayer journal is not a requirement, it has benefits for Christians who decide to have their own prayer journal.
How To Set Up A Prayer Journal?
As you set up your prayer journal, you must first have the things you will need. To begin with, you’ll need a notebook and a pen. You are already good to go if you have these two things.
One of the things that causes people to hesitate to write or at least not write anything meaningful is that they think about the formatting of their prayer journal entries. Should there be a Bible verse and then prayer points? Where will you put your answered prayers, current prayers, and other things? Remember that your prayer journal is for you and not for others. Whatever format you have is fine if you organize it and indicate the date it was written.
Remember that the purpose of the prayer journal is for you to have something to look back on. It does not matter what format you have so long as it serves that purpose.
Heavenly Father, help me consistently write entries in my prayer journal. Give me the wisdom I need to write my journal entries in an organized manner so that it will be easy for me to keep track of my prayers and quickly look back on Your faithfulness in my life. May my prayer journal be something that reminds me of who You are and Your providence in my life, and may it minister to me whenever such things are hard to see in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
How To Set Up A Prayer Journal
You can write your prayer journal entries to God after your Bible reading and prayer time. One of the essential things you should keep in mind is discipline and consistency. While it may be impossible to write every day, it is better to write entries as frequently as possible so that you don’t end up leaving a lot of good entries unrecorded, which could minister and encourage you in the future when you look back through your history of prayer.