Joy in Prayer Journaling

I’ve so enjoyed sharing with you all about prayer, I decided to talk about prayer journaling.  I’ve kept journals since I was a child, and often I wrote prayers in them.  Yet I never followed any formal method of prayer journaling until a bit over a year ago, when Pastor Charles Stanley taught me his technique.  I want to share this with you and tell you about the joy and wisdom it has brought me.

In his gentle voice (on the radio) Pastor Stanley talked about slowing down to study Scripture, not just rushing to read it.  This appealed to me, because I tend to devour my Bible, reading it once or twice yearly and worrying I was reading so fast I was not savoring the Word.  I had recently bought an Old and New Testament Bible Commentary and had not gotten far reading it (The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck).   That was helping me understand the history and culture of what I read (and better understand my Bible in depth).  Dr. Stanley’s method for prayer journaling as part of my daily Bible reading was a new plan for me.

Dr. Stanley told his listeners to choose an especially meaningful passage and write it down.  Before I did this step, I read the chapters I had chosen and only stopped to write a passage down when I was impressed with that verse or verses.

When I finish reading and writing, I follow the next step.  I consider the passage and write prayers about it. I might praise God and thank him for what he taught me or even thank God for his character when the passage has declared his goodness.  I can confess any sins this verse has shown me.  I might ask for help, such as boldness to share the Gospel. I often read the passage a few times and savor the encouraging words there. I used to feel guilty about lingering over Bible passages, thinking I had to hurry on.  Now I really enjoyed re-reading these beloved passages.

Dr. Stanley’s next step is to share the passage with someone, because when we share what we learn, it sinks more deeply into our heart.  Usually I share with my daughters who are home, although I’ll share with anyone who is available and willing to listen.

Finally Dr. Stanley suggests we meditate on this passage during the day. He calls this step “Working it out in our life.” 

At first I did not follow this prayer journaling every day. This method was new to me, and it felt time consuming.  But within a few weeks, I was following this method daily and growing in my faith. I began to see truths I had never considered before. I shared one of those truths in the first of my two posts on praise (“Why We Praise God: Answers to Atheists Who say God is Arrogant,” and the second about praise “Encouraging Hurt Believers through God’s praise.”)

I always knew, in my head, the Bible was God’s love letter to me. Yet now I felt this truth in my heart.  I felt God whispering his love to me. When I encountered several passages where sinners were rebuked, I felt warned to not follow their path. I was much more aware of how displeased God is with sin, because I read that passage over and over.  I also gather Bible verses to memorize from my prayer journaling sessions.  For example, I memorized John 16:33 “For the Father loves you dearly, because you love me and believe I came from him.”  I cherish any words where God confirms his dear love for me!

By studying the word, I noticed the order of words and phrases.  For example, in Acts 20:28, it says “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” I noticed the passage first told the men to guard themselves before they tended the sheep.  The Bible does acknowledge our need to care for ourselves before we can help others. This has never been selfish, and I am glad this passage is just one of many places where the Bible confirms our need to care for ourselves first. This does not mean we value ourselves over others, just that we have basic human needs, and we must meet them to remain physically and mentally strong before we can help others.

I could share so many other wonderful reasons why I prayer journal, but I want to invite you to discover your own joy as you do this. Remember this is not supposed to be a burden.  At first I did not prayer journal every day.  Furthermore, you choose what verses you want to copy, and your own prayers. You don’t have to follow Dr. Stanley’s method.  I just know this worked for me, and now my own church, South Bay Community Church, is having us do a 40 day prayer journal.  They even provided us with journals and the specific verses they want us to read. 

Prayer journaling is just one of many ways we use to meditate on God’s word and seek to know him better. This method really works for me.  Give it a try, and if you don’t like this method, feel free to find a different way to grow in your walk.  Your Christian faith is unique, and you need to find what works for you. 

May the Lord bless you as you seek him!  Thanks for joining us in this post.