Several years ago, I was frustrated because I could never remember where I wrote down last Sunday’s sermon notes, prayer requests from community group, etc. I am pretty organized with most of my life, but I never thought about organizing my prayer life.
So, like everyone else, I started looking on Pinterest for some ideas for the perfect prayer journal. Let me tell you, there are TONS of different options out there. I would encourage you to find the one that works best for you. For me, I have tried several different methods.
In this post, I will show you the different ways I have journaled, along with the pros and cons of each!
Spiral Notebook
I found this really cute spiral notebook at Office Max in 2016. I loved this notebook because it just made me happy every time I picked it up.
It has the following sections (only took pictures of a few of them because the other ones have personal prayers on them):
1. My journal part (started with my Word of the Year – see below for details)
2. Matt – my husband
3. My son
4. My daughter
5. Everyone’s Prayer Requests
Pros – everything in one place; super cute; the pockets on the dividers were great to be able to store things
Cons – little bit on the large side. I was able to slide it into my work bag but still left it at home most days.
Three-Ring Binder
I don’t even have a picture of this one because it just did not work for me. It worked for a few months and then I just gave up on it!
Pros – if you do a lot of different bible studies, this method might be for you. You can keep everything in one place and only have to take 1 notebook, instead of trying to find which book for which study.
Cons – too big!! It just didn’t fit my lifestyle at all. I always needed it when I was out and about and it was too big for me to take with me.
Smaller Journal
This year, I am trying something a little different. Since I loved my spiral notebook but my only negative comment on it was its size, I am trying this. I bought this one at Staples for $8. I have also included a picture of it with my old spiral notebook journal. So far, I love the size of this because it fits in my purse very easily.
So, before I got started, I set up my sections with sticky notes. This helped me see how much room that I needed for each section. I then just used these cute little magnetic bookmarks (I think I either got them at the Dollar Tree or Michaels) to divide out my sections. They don’t take up too much room and they don’t stick out (I can’t stand when things hang out over the edges).
I only have 4 different sections in this journal.
1. My Journal Part
This is where I first have my word of the year. At the end of every year, I pray about what word God is telling me to focus on in the next year. A lot of my quiet time is then spent on studying in God’s Word about what He has for me to learn about that word/topic. As you can tell, all I have done is just write my word. I will go back and decorate as well as add some of the scripture that I wrote on the index card.
This is also the place where I just write about anything. Prayers to God, my ongoing gratitude list, and sermon / bible study notes.
This is the largest section of my journal!
2. My Kids
**My kids are only placed first in the order because of how the magnets fit in the journal 🙂
I started this section with my kid’s names and what they mean. This helps guides my prayers for them. I believe that God knew their name before I ever did and that is powerful for me to remember!
In this section, I just simply write down specific prayer requests for each child and also just the prayers I have been praying over all of them. My hope is that one day they can look back through these journals and see how I stood in the gaps for them and prayed!
3. My Hubby
This year, I wrote out his name and what it means. His name means “a gift from God”. This is something that I tend to forget – that he truly is a gift from God for me (as is your spouse to you!).
This is where I write specific requests for him as well as prayers for our marriage. At the end of the year, I let him read it!
4. Everyone’s Prayer Request
Then this part is for everyone else! When someone asks me to pray for them, I write it in here along with the date. Then I leave a little room underneath it or beside it so I can write when and how that prayer was answered.
I will let you know at the end of the year how this prayer journal works out! If you have a prayer journal that you love, post in the comments!!
