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The Organized Prayer Journal
"Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually." - 1 Chronicles 16:11
This week as I was refreshing & refilling the pages in my prayer journal, the thought popped in my mind that you might like to see it! So I'd like to take a moment to share with you what I use to keep my prayer life simple, organized, and how I use it!
Do you keep a prayer list? I have to because if I don't write it down, I will totally forget. Having a prayer journal has really helped me to get consistent with my prayer life. When I struggle to trust God, this journal also serves as a reminder that He is always answering prayer... and most times in ways that I would have never thought of.
My prayer journal was given to me as a gift from my former pastor's wife when a few of us young moms graduated from a class she taught on motherhood several years ago. (Sidenote: The class was based on "A Mom After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George. If you get a chance to read it, I HIGHLY recommend it... I learned some valuable lessons on godly parenting!)
To our knowledge, the original prayer journal is no longer in print. Denise purchased hers from The Wilds many years ago, and the original pages were used as a guideline to fill our journals. As the first set of pages ran out, I simply replaced mine with pretty filler paper, and it has actually worked out better because I have a little more flexibility, and more room to write. When I first started my journal, it would take 5-10 minutes to pray through each day. Now, that I have added to it over several years, it takes usually about 30 minutes.
Supplies:
Binder
Filler Paper
10 tab-dividers
For copyright sake, I cannot provide you with any free printables for pages, but you can easily make one on your own in less than 30 minutes with filler paper.
I prefer a "mini" binder & half-letter page paper for portability, but a full-size binder is fine too. The filler paper in mine is from the Target dollar spot, but you can find this size (and the dividers) in the school supply aisle at Target/Wal-Mart, or at an office supply store.
Front binder pocket: Ready reference of handy scriptures
Tab 1: Scriptures for Praying God's Word
Topics are: Scriptures to Pray for Rest // Comfort & Peace // The Way I Talk // Strength // Growth in Faith & Character // God's Provision for Our Needs // Know God's Will, Through Trials // When Worried // For our Families // For Others // Salvation of Souls // Concerning Love for Others // For My Church Leaders
As I come across scriptures that speak to me, I will add to these pages.
Tab 2: Sunday - Each day's tab contains a set of the following pages...
Decorative Page - A Poem or Quote that honors God
Praise Thee - Take a moment to praise the LORD
Sing Praises - A hymn
Be Thankful - Show gratitude for the things you are thankful for
Confession of Sin - What have I done that would be disappointing to the LORD? Confess that.
Personal Requests
Prayers for Family - One page for each family member in my home, and then I have one single page where I combine extended family members (i.e. - prayers for parents, siblings, in-laws, cousins, etc. are all grouped on one sheet.)
Church Leaders
Other Ministries
Missionaries
Government Officials
The Unsaved
Others
Tab 3: Monday
Tab 4: Tuesday
Tab 5: Wednesday
Tab 6: Thursday
Tab 7: Friday
Tab 8: Saturday
Tab 9: Daily / Ladies in Waiting (*I personally added this one)
I have a couple of close girlfriends that I try to pray for daily, and those ladies' pages are kept under this tab. I also have a couple lists of those that are "ladies in waiting" (i.e. - waiting on husbands, babies, homes, etc.)
Tab 10: Extra Filler Paper / Pocket Folder
Back Binder Pocket: Church Directory
How to Use It:
Each daily tab contains the exact same pages. I write the date, the request, and then leave a couple lines in between. That gives me room to make a note on updates or how that prayer is answered.
Example: On Monday, I sit down with my prayer journal, open to the Monday tab, read the praise, sing a hymn, and then begin praying through each page. Then, I flip to the daily tab & pray over those. As I am praying, if I have a need to add, I fill those in.
The Ready Reference in the front pocket was given to me by a friend (she received 25+ years ago), and it has been so helpful as I teach and instruct my children. I was not able to find these for purchase; however if I am able to I will update this post with a link. The photo is for your reference.
** I forgot to pull the confession of sin page from my journal when I took this photo...
That goes before the Personal Surrender to God page. I do not write the sins out, I just wrote out a "template" page for each day that lists sin areas to help trigger my thinking. Some sins to consider that I have listed out would be:
"Grieving His Spirit" (how have I disappointed God?)
"Sins of temperament" (anger, selfishness, pride, impatience, complaceny, lust, etc.)
"Sins against others" (critical spirit, lack of forgiveness, not being completely honest, etc.)
"Sins of Self" (idleness, anxiety, lack of forgiveness, not being completely honest with myself)
"Sins of Neglect" (witnessing, letters, visits, prayer, bible study, etc.)
This is an example of a specific prayer that I am praying now. (On Sundays are the days that I pray over things that I know will be YEARS before they are answered or something that is a broad scope... like my kids' future spouses or their friendships through life.)
I hope you've enjoyed a peek into my prayer journal!
Do you keep a prayer journal? How do you organize your prayer life? A tip to share? Comment below or on my facebook page.
- In Christ,
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