How To Start A Prayer Journal (FREE Printable To Get Started Today)

Are you ready to learn how to start a prayer journal? I’m going to help you get started today, but I want to start with this:

Communication is the foundation for any great relationship.

Prayer is communication. it’s not just a good habit, or part of morning routine. It is the foundation for our relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is the place where we discover the beauty of our Maker and the depth of his love for us.

Prayer is not just a singular event in our day. It is designed to be woven into the fabric of every moment. A constant awareness of God’s presence with us.

You might also like: How to discover your God-given purpose, by starting with your identity.

What is a Prayer Journal?

To put it simply, a prayer journal is used to record our conversations with God.

It is easy for our prayers to get lost in the busyness of the day, or drift into our sleep. Prayer journaling is just one powerful way to bring depth and consistency to your prayer life.

Putting your conversations with God onto paper, is a beautiful way to keep track of your progress, growth and the many answered prayers you will see along the way. It gives you something to come back to when you need encouragement. A constant reminder that God is always at work, and their is evidence of his goodness seamlessly woven into your every day life.

There is no right or wrong way to journal your prayers. God’s desire is for relationship with you! He doesn’t mind in your journal is full of color coded prayers and bright stickers, or if it’s covered in messy handwriting and tattered edges.

So as you discover and created your our journaling habits, remember the focus should always be on deepening your relationship with God. You might also like: Discovering your God-given purpose starts with knowing your identity.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6

How do I Journal to God?

Prayer is the natural outgushing of a soul in communion with Jesus. Just as the leaf and the fruit will come out of the vine-branch without any conscious effort on the part of the branch, but simply because of its living union with the stem, so prayer buds, and blossoms, and fruits out of souls abiding in Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon

First, I want you to remember that prayer is a conversation. It is an opportunity for you to speak and listen to your Heavenly Father, the Author and Perfector of your faith, the one who moved Heaven and Earth to be near to you. He loves you, and he adores spending time with you!

So when explaining how to journal or what to write in your prayer journal, know that this isn’t the hard-and-fast rules for prayer journaling, but rather a launching pad to get you started.

There are many examples of prayer in the Bible. For example, Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray (Matthew 5:9-13), with the Lord’s Prayer.

Then there is the book of Psalms, which is like a 150 chapter prayer journal! You see people like David, pouring out their hearts to God. You see it all. The highs, the lows and everything in between.

We can learn from David, who was known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), that he was unafraid to get real with God. We see the joy of triumphs and love for God, but you also see the depths of his heartaches and frustrations.

See in Psalm 8, David pouring out his praise and adoration for God. He is unrestrained in the joy he has for why God has done.

“O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8:1-4‬

Here is Psalm 10, you see David pouring his heart out again, but this time with with questioning and heartache.

“O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others. For they brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.” ‭‭Psalm‭10:1-3‬

So however you approach your journaling, continue pursuing relationships with God. It is not about how much you write or how often you journal, but totally, completely about your relationship with God.

If you want to discover more about prayer, see How to Pray: A Not-So-Common Approach to Prayer

Set an intention – What is the Main Purpose of a Prayer Journal?

Prayer journaling is not homework for Christians. The goal of a prayer journal is not something you have to do to be ‘more holy,’ or a ‘better’ Christian. It is simply a tool to help you know Jesus more.

Prayer is a conversation with God. It is a beautiful gift that allows us to grow our intimacy with him.

So before you start journaling, check your intention. Ask yourself why you want to journal. Is it because you want to know God more? Do you have have something you want answers or breakthrough for? Do you want to grow in your faith? Is there a characteristic of God that you want to know more about?

Intentions may change overtime, but always make sure it is rooted in growing your relationship with God.

Discover more: How to Know and Hear God’s Voice

Create Space – How often are you going to Journal your Prayers?

Notice I didn’t write set up a timetable or create a routine? Routines can be helpful, but they shouldn’t be our end goal when prayer.

When I first met my husband, imagine if I set a 15 minute timer on our time together. Even if it were daily, it would be extremely difficult to maintain. Why? Because when I met him, all I wanted to do was be around him, talk to him and get to know him. Still now, after many years, I still want to know him more!

When you build a relationship with someone, you desire to be around them. One of the most powerful things for your prayer life, is a burning desire to know God!

I want to give you permission to enjoy your time with God! Routines are great, but they should serve your relationship with God, not burden you with mundane repetition.

Be creative – How do I Organise a Prayer Journal?

If you want to enjoy your time with God, don’t be afraid to have fun! He gave us all a unique design, and a unique way to communicate and connect with God.

Chances are, if you are reading this, writing is one way you connect well or are wanting to connect better with. But you can journal through drawing, poetry, music, painting…the list goes on!

So why not try something different? Try journaling while outdoors at your favorite location, or while listening to worship music, or creating artwork?

How do I start prayer journaling?

Ok, so you want to get started, but what do you put in a prayer journal? Prayer journaling doesn’t have to be fancy – but if that is your thing, then have some fun! But you can start journaling by simply taking notes on your phone or scribbling notes on some paper.

To help establish intentional and consistent prayer journaling, here are two ways you can use to help you keep a prayer journal, that you can start today.

Make a Prayer Journal Notebook

For those who love the creative freedom, a blank notebook might be all you need!

Whether you want to just want to write page after page, or if you want to crack out your highlighters and color code your prayers and add all the stickers and tabs you could possibly get your hands on, then notebooks are your new best friend. They are simply a blank slate for your creativity (or lack-there-of!) as you record your thoughts and conversations with the Father.

Follow people like @journals_for_jesus or @biblexjournaling on social media for some super creative and beautiful ideas as they journal using their Bibles. Or heading over to Pinterest and you’ll find endless prayer journaling inspiration.

Prayer Journal Templates

Prayer journal templates are a great way to create a journal that works best for you. A good template will give you a variety of prompts and journaling templates that you can mix and match to essentially create your own journal.

Using prayer journal templates allows you to use the same page over and over again, or you can swap out different templates for different focuses or seasons of prayer. Having a prayer journal with prompts is a great way to start or increase the intimacy of your prayer with your Heavenly Father.

Free Printable Prayer Journal to Get You Started Today

Want to try our prayer journal template? Get started with one of the pages from the Fully Loved Prayer Journal for free by downloading it here.

This journal is designed to help you craft healthy rhythms into your prayer life, while deepening your intimacy with the Father. Each page is designed to take you deeper, as you have real, honest conversations with God. So it you are ready to move beyond tick-the-Christian-box prayers, to real, authentic conversations with God, then this is for you.

You can check out the Fully Loved Prayer Journal here.

Ready to get Started Prayer Journaling?

Hopefully you and feeling encouraged and equipped to start your own prayer journal now. Move over routine prayers and let’s start having real, authentic conversations with our Father.

And friend, the best thing you can do, is just start. Start somewhere and see where God takes you on your prayer journey. Know that the Father loves to speak to his children and, well to put it simply, he is hanging out to spend time with YOU.