Tips and Thoughts for Navigating a Prayer Journal and Growing Closer to God

You can buy a beautiful journal.
You can make a beautiful journal.
You can use a notebook.
You can use note cards.

A journal doesn’t have to be fancy.  A journal is a collection of your thoughts and ideas.


You can freely write your ideas and questions in a journal.
You can use a structured plan to make your journal writing easier.

Keep your bible near you when you write.
 

When you begin to write, ask  the Holy Spirit to come into your heart.  Open your heart to His love.

If you choose a structured format for your journal, you might begin with

Praise to God
Lord, I praise you for___________________________.
You can write a few words, sentences or paragraphs.
Lord, I thank you for _____________________________.

Ask for guidance
Lord, as I begin to write, I ask for your Holy Spirit to guide me.
Where do you want me to go with this journal?
Write what comes to your mind.

Other ideas

You can record your favorite prayers in your prayer journal.
You can tell God about your day.
You can tell God how excited your are about something that happened to you.
You can tell God about your problems and challenges.
You can tell God about your deepest desires and longings.
You can tell God about your worries.
You can ask God for forgiveness.
You can write a story about God.
You can tell God what you’re going to make for supper.
You can tell God who you’re eating lunch with today.
You can tell God if you’re lonely or sad.
You can ask God to bless someone.
You can ask God to take care of your children.
You can ask God to heal the sick and dying.
You don’t have to think less of yourself if you have no ideas.  Simply sit and pray.  Ask God to give  you some ideas.  He will.
Look up a favorite passage in your Bible.  Write what you think about this passage.
Still stuck for ideas?  Google journal Prompts.  Trust me, you’ll find them.

If you like, become an art journalist.  Draw in your journals.  Color in your journals.  They don’t have to be fancy.  Sometimes, when words aren’t there, a picture says more than words ever could say.

Add photos to your journal.  Remember, it’s your journal, and you can do what you like with it.

Things to remember:
Set a goal of writing 5-10 minutes per day in your journal.  Most days, you’ll be able to achieve that goal. 
Some days, when you’re stuck, write three to four words in your journal just to express how you feel.
Date your journal each day that you write.
Consider your time, when you are prayer journaling, as a sacred time, a precious time to be with God.
Journaling is another type of prayer.  I found  my prayer voice through journaling.  It is a tool to deepen your relationship with God.

Security
That’s up to you. 
I do put my handwritten journals away after I finish writing.  These days, I journal on my computer.
I’ve looked at apps for journaling, but I am not overly impressed with them right now.  Perhaps you would find an app helpful to you.

However you choose to handle your journal, remember, that God will be working with you through your journal. 
If you can’t find time to journal on a particular day, that’s all right.  Don’t push yourself unless you really feel the need to journal. 
If you need to vent in your journal about someone, and it might be someone who could read your journal, vent, then rip that page out of your journal.  Tear it up.  Burn it.  Ask God to bless that person.  Let it go.

Someone might read your journal and see your vent.  That could cause hurt feelings.

Remember this is our year of Mercy.

Lastly,  just write, whether it be one word or a thousand words. 

God is Good.

Draw closer to Him through your prayer journal.