What Is a Prayer Journal?

 

A prayer journal, sometimes known as a prayer notebook, is a place to organize your thoughts about prayer. Often, it functions as both a dynamic list of prayer requests and a log of your prayer life. There’s no specific method for how to use a prayer journal; it should match your personal needs and preferences. To spark ideas for your own journal, take a look at these sections that commonly appear in people’s prayer journals:

 

• Prayers From the Bible
• Things I’m Grateful For
• Answered Prayers
• Personal Prayers
• World Issues

 

Prayer journals help us record our walk with God, remembering His faithfulness and keeping track of the things we want to bring to Him in prayer. Lists of prayer requests can help us focus in prayer, while daily logs motivate us to make prayer a habit. If you’re creating your own prayer journal or embellishing a plain notebook, it can also be a fun way to utilize your creativity!

 

DIY Prayer Journal Ideas

 

If you’re ready to elevate your spiritual life with a prayer journal, you can buy one premade or use an app on your phone. A third option is to create your own! A DIY prayer journal can be a creative and deeply personal experience.

 

The only things you really need for a prayer journal are a notebook and a writing utensil. With those simple tools, you can organize your prayer journal in whichever way suits you best. However, if you get joy from arts and crafts, you can level up your journaling with markers, stickers, washi tape, and other stationery delights!

 

Here are some ideas to help you brainstorm:

 

• Buy a beautiful notebook that will motivate you to keep up your journal, or purchase a relatively plain one and decorate the cover.
• Personalize the sections in your prayer journal to hit the things that are important to you.
• When you’re reading the Bible and come across a verse that speaks to you about prayer, write it down in your prayer journal.
• Use markers to color-coordinate entries.
• Doodle, write section titles or Bible verses in calligraphy, or add stickers to make your journal more appealing and representative of your style! Prayer is deeply personal, and your journal can and should reflect that.

 

Here at the Massachusetts Bible Society, we’re dedicated to promoting biblical literacy. Biblical texts have been interpreted in diverse ways from generation to generation and are always filtered through the lens of the reader’s faith and life experiences. The Bible has authority for communities of faith who take time to study and prayerfully interpret its message, but it is also important for anyone who wants more fully to understand culture, religious thought, and the world in which we live. We believe that everyone should know the Bible, whether they accept it as their sacred text or not. To that end, we have created accessible and comprehensive resources for all who are curious.

 

Check out our Exploring the Bible courses and claim your free sample chapters, or explore our website for more! The Massachusetts Bible Society is a Christian organization that exists to promote biblical literacy, understanding, and dialogue that is grounded in scholarship, socially relevant, and respectful of the many voices within the Bible and all those who turn to the Bible in faith. Donate today or consider planned giving to help us bring biblical understanding to the world!