For years I’ve regretted not keeping a journal. I wish I could look back on journal entries that recall events and activities in my life with the freshness of having just experienced those moments. I’ve even had people bring things up, events that took place in the past ten years, that I do not remember at all. Nevertheless, I’ve never kept a journal for a variety of reasons – lack of discipline, poor (and for me, laborious) handwriting, etc. And while I do regret not having started a journal, and have the freedom to start one at any time, I likely will never do so.
I used to feel the same way about prayer journals. I had tried at different times to write (or even type) out my prayers, but this never lasted very long. A blank page was intimidating for me as I felt almost an obligation to fill the entire page with words, and writing an entry felt almost like writing a letter (which, to me personally, wasn’t conducive to prayer). I would often start making a request to the Lord, and then suddenly remember something I should have thanked Him for or some sin I needed to confess to Him, and the whole entry would end up a jumbled, frustrating mess.
However, my own personal lack of focus in quiet, unwritten prayer remained a problem. And I am able to focus more when I write. Therefore, I started to once again keep a prayer journal, but this time I began categorizing my prayers into four sections: Praises, Confessions, Requests, and Answers. This helped me to begin by giving God thanks for Who He is and for all that He had done, to continue in prayer by specifically confessing my sins, to then make my requests of the Lord, and finally to reflect on all the prayers I’d already prayed and the ways that God had faithfully answered those prayers. This process of journaling has helped me immensely! It has kept me focused, it has given a proper order to my prayers, it has given me freedom in listing various praises, confessions, requests, and answers without feeling pressured to fill the entire page, and it has served as a tool for remembering all that God has done for me. I’m not sure, in my sinful inadequacy, I would’ve ever realized just how much God answers prayer without using this written system. Additionally, unlike with a daily journal for recording moments and memories, I don’t worry about my handwriting because the distinct purpose of this journal is to keep me focused in prayer each day, not to record memories that I look back on years later.
In sharing this with others I’ve had several people ask me exactly how I organize my prayer journal. I’ve even sent people pictures of my journal so they can see how I’ve written it out. But I wanted to be able to share this process more easily with others, and so I’ve recently published two versions of this journal! There is a Men’s Prayer Journal and a Women’s Prayer Journal. By clicking on either of those two hyperlinks, you can order a copy of this journal for you or for a friend or loved one. If you struggle staying focused in your prayers, and you’ve thought about journaling, I do believe these simple prayer journals will be a big help to you in beginning a daily time in prayer. You can feel free to leave a comment on this post if you have any questions (or use my contact page); also, I’ve written more on prayer here.
May God bless you! Stay in God’s Word and in prayer daily!
Chase Thompson 