Prayer Journals
By Synthia Robinson-Pack
What is a prayer journal?
It is simply a list of prayer requests with the date you prayed about them and hopefully the date in which they were answered.
This simple journal, however, can change your life by increasing your faith as you see the power of prayer as little-by-little you check off prayer requests that have been answered. This allows you to see how God has answered your prayers and helps your faith to grow more and more.
What should I put in my prayer journal?
Any prayer requests you have. They may be very simple ones, such as praying for someone who has a cold, asking God to help you find your keys, or praying for a safe delivery for an expectant mother. You may pray about a new job or ask God to heal someone with cancer. They can be simple or complex. They may even sound frivolous. The point is to show you how God answers your prayers – big ones and small ones.
In the beginning you may find that your requests are simpler. As your faith grows, your requests may become more complex. This is normal.
Why do I have to put the date I started praying and the date it was answered?
The dates are helpful because they help you to understand that sometimes prayers are answered quickly and sometimes they are answered after a long period of time. They show you that sometimes when you have forgotten about a prayer request, God hasn’t. In addition, they help you to learn patience in your prayer walk.
How long should I keep my journal?
That is an individual decision. You should keep your journal until you have faith to believe that God hears your prayers and answers them. This is a faith-building tool so you want to keep it until your faith is built up. You may want to keep the journal for a year or throughout your entire lifetime. It is up to you. The longer you keep the journal, however, the more your faith can grow.
Should I share my prayer journal with others?
Once again, this is an individual decision. You may want to keep it close to your heart and away from others for a while until your faith starts growing. You can also keep a prayer journal for a group (such as a Sunday school class or a prayer group).
What if I know a prayer was answered but I don’t know when?
You need to check off the prayer request as you normally do. You have two options: you can put a line through the date area or you can put “KBG” which stands for “Known by God” in the space.
What if the prayer wasn’t answered the way I expected it to be answered?
Sometimes God answers prayers in ways we do not understand. You don’t want to be legalistic about your prayer journal. The purpose is to show you that God is listening to and answering your prayers. He may not answer it in the way you expected or wanted though but it comes down to one simple question: Did God answer the prayer request? If so, then check it off.
What if I don’t want people to know about a specific prayer request?
Sometimes our prayer requests are quite personal and we don’t want to share them with others. When you have a prayer request like that, you don’t have to be specific enough so that anyone can know what your prayer request is; you can list your prayer request in more vague terms.
For example, if you want to pray that God help you avoid bankruptcy, you can put “finances” in the prayer request column. If you are having problems with your spouse, you can write “marriages.” If someone does pick up your prayer journal and read it, then they will not be able to tell specifically what those prayer requests are. You will know what they are though and, therefore, will know when to check it off.
What if I have a prayer request that isn’t answered?
One of our biggest challenges as Christians is waiting on God. We often want things done in our timeframe; God works in His own time though. We must wait on Him. Some prayer requests will be answered and some won’t. Some prayer requests will be answered in our lifetime and others may be accomplished afterwards. Sometimes we will know when a request has been answered and other times we won’t. We are humans with limited knowledge. God knows everything though. Do not check off a prayer request unless you know it has been answered. You may know because it was something for you personally. You may find out that the prayer has been answered when someone else tells you. You may know if God reveals it to you.
If you have a prayer request and don’t know if you need to keep it on the list, then ask God. He will reveal it to you. His Spirit will speak to your spirit in such a way as to let you know if it has been answered or not. If He doesn’t reveal that it has been answered, however, keep it on the list. It may be one of those requests that take time.
Prayer Journal Pages
Here are some pre-designed journal pages for your use. These designs are copyrighted but the designer gives permission to reproduce them in their entirety only and for complimentary use only. If you would like to purchase these pages, however, please email us at info@inspirationalthoughts.org for more information.
Copyright © 2006 by Synthia Robinson-Pack. All rights reserved. The author gives permission to reproduce this article in its entirety only and for complimentary use only and distribute to friends, family members and others. All images and publications are copyrighted. All rights reserved.