Over the past few weeks, I have shared with you my prayer journal. I share that as an example. I hope that it will challenge and encourage you to create your own prayer journal. This is not a masterpiece but a working document that you can and should use daily. It is marked up and might have a few drops of coffee, and tears.

I have decided that my journal will never be finished. It is something that I continue to add to. It is a working journal. I want it to work and help me. Your journal might be very different from mine and that is fine.

The sections that I have included in mine are as follows:

Confession

Praise and Worship

Thanksgiving

Petitions

Intercessions

The notebook that I am using is a three-ring notebook. It is about the same size as my Bible. That works for me to be able to add pages where I want and punch holes in papers I want to include. That works for me. Get what works for you.

Prayer Strategy

There is one other page that I have in my prayer journal. It is my Prayer Strategy page.

When I think of the goal of Prayer, the ultimate goal is “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10. (ESV) I wrote that in the middle of the page just as a reminder of what I want to see when I am praying. If I were more artistic it would be a nice oval with flowers. I wanted that in the middle where I could be reminded of the goal

Then I just listed a bit of what prayer means to me personally.

I also wrote when I will pray. My focused time is in the morning with my prayer journal but I want to be praying through the day and into the night. I admit my nighttime prayers are not always as focused as I am drifting off to sleep but God hears and knows.

The back is a bit more of a personal page that answers the questions, why I need a prayer strategy and what will keep me from praying. I wanted to write that down when I didn’t need it so it would be there when I need it.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

I hope that this encourages you to create your own. I admit to being a paper and pen kind of person so I like having something that I can write in and add pages to. If you are more of a paperless person, look at the app, Prayer Mate.

The most important thing is to pray. This is just a tool to help you do that. You can pray without a prayer journal.

Do you have a prayer journal? How does your prayer journal help you to pray? Share with me in the comments.