A few years ago when I first started blogging, I wrote a post about How To Start A Prayer Journal and it has been floating around Pinterest a lot lately, so I thought it was time to update the post. In 2013, one of my resolutions was to keep a prayer journal for the year. I have said it a lot on this blog, but I firmly believe in the power of prayer. It has been a huge part of my life and relationship with God. By keeping a journal, it helped me organize my prayers, really pray for others when they asked, and it helped me in my memorization of scripture.
How To Start A Prayer Journal:
1. Find a notebook you like, and make sure it is durable, you will use it a lot. I carried mine with me almost everywhere.
2. Tab the notebook for each day of the week
3. Set categories. These are the categories I used:
Monday: Husband, Marriage, Relationships
Tuesday: Spiritual Life, Ministry
Wednesday: Work, Home
Thursday: Thanks/Praise, Friendships
Friday: Finances, Giving, Health
Saturday: Family, Neighbors
Sunday: Children, Church, Rest
3. Verses: Write 3 key verses about prayer at the beginning for focus, or key life verses you may have. And I included verses at the top of each day, so that I can pray verses over those specific categories. This also helped me with scripture memorization because I prayed them a lot. The three I used at the beginning were Colossians 1:9-10, John 15:4-8, and Philippians 4:4-7.
4. Start writing your notes. I wrote down specific prayers under each category or just names of people. Then, as I thought of others, or they arose throughout the week, I would write them down on the day that fit best category wise. For immediate prayer requests, I kept a sticky note in my journal that I moved to each day.
5. Pray
This is by no means the only way to set up a prayer journal. I just found it very helpful for praying about the aspects of my life, praying scripture, and praying for others on a consistent basis.
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Beks
I like this idea. I’ve tried to set up some kind of prayer journal, but it always seemed so disorganized, and I felt like my prayers were always the same, like repeating the same words instead of having a conversation with God. I think I’ll use this! 🙂
Marquis Clarke
BeksI’m glad! Yes, I know what you mean.
Chelsea
Such a good idea!
Marquis Clarke
ChelseaThanks Chelsea!
Sheila
Such an awesome idea. It would be awesome if you would do a post on how you do a bible study and how you have it organized! I am always trying to find a new system, because mine is working for me.
Marquis Clarke
SheilaThat is a great idea!
Generation Distinct
Love this Marquis! Thanks for the practical inspiration!
Marquis Clarke
Generation DistinctThank you!
gradybird
I love this! I’d love to see pictures of the specifics pages (maybe blank ones, of course, to keep your privacy) just to really get a feel for the layout! Sounds great!
Marquis Clarke
gradybirdMy original post shows a few pictures inside mine: http://simplyclarke.com/2013/01/prayer-journal/
gradybird
Marquis ClarkeOh awesome, thank you! 🙂