Prayer journaling is simply taking a normal journal and offering it up to the Lord. There are many ways to go about writing in a prayer journal, but regardless of the way we do it; prayer journaling shifts our thinking away from ourselves onto the Lord's will for our lives. Writing can be so healing, and when we partner with the Lord in our journey to understand the world around us, the possibilities for growth and restoration are limitless. It has been invaluable in my life, and I wanted to share my experience so that you can get started, or dive even deeper into the art of prayer journaling.
If someone were to take a look at my journal, they would find the disheveled scribblings of a girl who messes up quite a bit but is trying her best. But most importantly, they would find honest and vulnerable conversations with God.
It wasn't always that way though. My journaling life used to feel scripted and insincere. But, after learning more about the Psalms, I felt my journaling practice take on a new purpose. I was able to get over all the things that were stopping me from getting real with the Lord and with myself.
The Bible Jesus Read, by Christian author Phillip Yancey, likens the book of Psalms to a "sampling of spiritual journals, much like personal letters to God." Psalms can serve as a beautiful model to use in our journaling practices. Yancey also points out how we may have a lot more in common with the psalmists than we think;
"Psalms gives us examples of ordinary people struggling mightily to align what they believe about God with what they actually experience."
The Psalms are incredibly messy, and vulnerable, and real. I don't know about you, but I want my prayer journaling practice to look like that. I want my grandkids to be able to look through the worn pages of my journals and vividly experience the struggle, the endurance, and the joy that comes with following the Lord. But to write like that I had to let go of some unrealistic expectations I was placing on myself.
3 things I had to get over to get real:
#1- Trying to make my journal look visually appealing.
Yes, sometimes I have the time to fill my journal with beautiful, colorful hand-lettering. But oftentimes I don't. Most days, the pages look messy, my handwriting resembles a mixture of cursive and hieroglyphics, and I often scribble over stuff. Honestly, the most rewarding, deep, and vulnerable journaling I have done is usually quite messy.
#2- Trying to make my words sound just right.
I had to learn to stop judging my writing as it was hitting the page. Why was I being so critical of myself? After all, a journal is for raw and unpolished thoughts. Once I gave up on trying to make my journal sound like a bestselling novel and started writing without thinking, I was less intimidated to start writing. It no longer felt like a script and more like a conversation with God.
#3- Only presenting God with my "good" emotions.
Ok, so this is an issue in a lot of people's prayer lives whether they are journaling their prayers or not. Luckily we can learn a lot from the psalmists about this. Psalms about anger and vengeance, also known as imprecatory psalms teach us the value of bringing God all of our emotions so that he can transform our hearts.
#3- Comparing my journal to what I saw on social media.
You won't find any examples of what the pages of my journal look like in this post because I don't want you to leave this post journaling like me. I want you to leave this post journaling like YOU! That means that the way you write and structure your notebook is completely up to you. You don't need to cultivate a social-media-worthy journal, you just need to create a space where you can be real.
I want to dive deeper into prayer journaling, what's next?
If you would like more help in choosing a prayer journal, deciding if a guided prayer journal is right for you, and some creative ideas to get you started; read my post What Do I Need to Start Prayer Journaling? (which will be posted Sunday, August 29th!)
If you have a journal and want to dive deeper with some fresh prompts and ideas, read my post Prompts For Prayer Journaling. In that post, I have included a free printable bookmark to keep in your journal for reference when writer's block hits. (That will also be posted Sunday, August 29th!)
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment on your experience with prayer journaling and share this post on Facebook or Twitter using the icons below. You can also pin this post on Pinterest using the "save" button in the corner of the featured image.
New posts every Sunday at 2 pm. See you next week!
P.s. Visit my site Sunday August 29th at 2pm for 2 related posts titled: What Do I Need to Start Prayer Journaling? and Prompts For Prayer Journaling.
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