Praying can be difficult. Our minds wonder, we become distracted and spend more time focusing on our never-ending to-do list rather than talking to God. Many of us don’t feel like we have the right words to say, or don’t actually know what to pray about in the first place. Sometimes we even fall asleep. There’s no shame in any of these struggles, and no one should feel guilty for experiencing uncertainty when it comes to prayer.
Praying is simply spending time with God and telling Him what’s on your mind, while opening your heart to hear from Him. It’s a remarkable exchange that, for many, requires discipline and practice to improve and grow. There’s no formula to prayer because it’s about who you are and your relationship with the Lord.
Prayer can occur at any point in the day, in any location. It can be helpful to establish a prayer routine, but that’s totally unnecessary. Some people love to pray at the same time every day, while sitting in the same location, with the same pen, cuddled under the same blanket, with the same candle lit. Other people talk to God throughout their day. Anything can spark a conversation with their maker. Both of these scenarios are great, as well as a combination of the two. What works for you isn’t going to work for everyone.
There are various ways you can pray too. You can speak to God within your own mind, or you can speak to Him aloud. Prayer doesn’t even require words. You can pray through your actions, dance, song, even art and other creations. Prayer can be all of this or none of this. There are no perimeters or restrictions on prayer, because it’s about building healthy communication between you and God.
Some have found that writing down their prayers keeps them focused. Many people write their prayers in journals. This is a helpful tool for keeping your prayers collected in one place. It also allows for you to revisit your prayers overtime to see how God has answered your requests.
What is a Prayer Journal
Any journal entry can be a prayer and any journal can be a prayer journal, but for the sake of learning how to pray through journaling, here’s a prayer journal for you. Prayer journals are specific journals that provide space for you to write out your prayers. Prayer journals have prompts to guide you through your prayer time. Use a favorite journal and create your own prayer journal.
A prayer journal is not just a list of things you want to pray about. It’s a good habit to use the last couple of pages of your journal to list out some topics you’d like to pray about so you can use it as a reference during your prayer time. The beauty of a prayer journal is that it can help you develop a routine, if that compliments your personality, or you can take it with you and jot down your prayers when you have a minute or two to spare between life’s craziness.
Prayer journals can become an interactive space between you and God. As you’re writing your prayer, you may find that God is responding to your prayer at that moment. Therefore it’s fun to review your prayer journal periodically and be proactive with your prayers. Highlight or underline any actions or activities that God brings to mind. Add those activities to your planner or organization app so you do what God is asking of you.
Periodically review your journal entries and see what you learn from them days, weeks, months, even years later. While you’re reviewing the content of your journal – mark the journal entries that have been answered, even if He answered the prayer in a way that you weren’t anticipating. Unexpected answers to prayer doesn’t always mean it’s bad. Sometimes the prayers that He answers differently than what we think are the best answers. Some prayers don’t need to be answered. Some prayers are just expressions of what’s on our hearts and minds. It’s offering up issues to the Lord.
Overtime, you’ll be able to quickly flip through your journal, looking only for unanswered prayers. You can pray over those unanswered prayers over and over again. Persistent prayers may become exhausting, but God hears your heart and He never grows weary of hearing them.
Blessings and peace to you as your journey through prayer.
