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Hi friends! Today I am talking about something a little different- my new prayer journal!
I posted all about it in my Instagram stories last week and got a bunch of requests to make a blog post and YT video for it so that it is easier to find and share. So here we go!
The Video
I did make a video describing exactly what I did so check that out! If you would rather read, however, I will put the same information below.
Supplies Used
Why I decided to start a prayer journal
I have a very hard time keeping up with things like prayer journals. I’ve bought so many, but don’t usually stick with them for more than a month. It’s just such a hard discipline for me. (I am the same way with Bible reading plans haha). So, I hadn’t been using a prayer journal for quite a while. But then I saw the movie War Room a couple of weeks ago and it inspired me to try it out again. I have high hopes for this time!
The one time that I stuck with a prayer journal for multiple months was back in 2017 when my husband and I were stationed in Japan and he was on his third deployment. I had created a prayer journal myself with a Leuchtturm 1917 notebook. I divided the journal into seven sections- one for each day of the week, and each day has a different topic to pray over.
It’s such a simple concept, so it is easy to do every day.
So, here is a breakdown on how I set up this new prayer journal based on the original one I did in 2017.
Step one- Buy a journal and create dividers.
I bought the same Leuchtturm 1917 journal that I used originally because it is a lovely journal. It has a ton of pages and is really great quality. I love that the pages are numbered, which made it easy to divide into the seven sections. The journal also has a pocket in the back and an elastic band to keep it closed. I use the lined version, but it does also come in dotted, grid, and blank pages.
Next, I took some cheap cold press watercolor paper and painted some fun paintings on it. I cut the paintings in half and then to size with the journal- leaving a little extra to hang out the edge of the journal so that it created “tabs” of a sort.
You could absolutely use scrapbook paper or cardstock instead of painting your own dividers!
I added these pages into the bible by gluing them onto a page about every 36 pages (on the Leuchtturm journal I glued them on pages 1, 35, 71, 107, 143, 179, and 215) and taped the edge to make it more secure and look more finished.
KEY THING TO NOTE ABOUT ADDING THE DIVIDERS: If you use watercolor paper or similar paper, because the pages are so thick, if you add them into the spine or close to the spine, the journal will not want to close and will keep popping back open. So, when gluing or taping the dividers into the journal leave about 1/4″ of space between the spine and the divider. See the picture below.
Step two- Decide on seven topics to pray over
Alright, so next I decided on seven topics to assign to each section to pray over. The idea is that each section represents a day of the week. So each day, I flip to one of the sections and pray over the assigned topic.
In my first prayer journal I actually marked each section as Mon-Sun, but this time I decided to leave that off. So that if I do end up missing a day I can just pick up where I left off and won’t feel guilty or stressed.
I LOVE having the different topics because when I didn’t have the topics I found my prayers getting really monotonous and I wasn’t really praying hard or deep about anything. Having a specific topic to pray over allows me the time to really dig deep into praying about it, and it also helps to hold me accountable to pray over things/people I may forget to pray for otherwise. For example, finances are something I would often forget to turn over to God, so now I have a day dedicated to praying over that and won’t forget to trust that to God.
Of course, praying these topics each day is not a rule, just a guide. I will always also pray over family and people and things that I want/need to be praying over, no matter what day it is in my journal.
These topics should be decided, prayerfully, by you to fit your current season of life.
In my original prayer journal, my topics were much vaguer: family, finances, health and safety, career, people, home and life, and my relationship with God.
This time, I narrowed down the topics to be a little more specific, as my life and mindset have changed a lot since 2017! My topics now are: me and my relationship with God, Connor and our marriage, Clark and parenting, family and friends, finances, Scribbling Grace and my sweet followers (aka. YOU), and the world and our country’s leaders.
Step three- Each day, write sections for gratitude, something good , scripture, and prayer
Now, this gets even more personal. You could absolutely just do prayer each day. I decided though, that within each topic section, each day, I will also have sections for gratitude, something good that happened that day, a scripture that is on my heart or that I want to pray over (I have been skipping this the last week in using the new journal, but I did it in my original versions and I do think it is important.), and finally the largest space for prayer.
Again, the great thing about making a prayer journal yourself is that it’s totally customizable. Maybe add a space each day for people in your life that need daily prayer. Or a space to write down your anxieties or fears to pass them to God. Do what is meaningful to you.
You can make this as structured as you like. You may be happier if you do label the dividers Sun-Sat. You may like to create boxes for the different sections on each day and a designated amount of space for them. Or, you may be like me and want to use this all just as a guideline.- I keep this really simple and just write out the sections, give them a quick underline, skip to the next line, and move on. So, some days my “gratitude” or “something good” section will be larger and sometimes smaller depending on what is going on.
Step four *optional*- Decorate the cover of your journal
Alright, this is completely unnecessary, but if you are anything like me, you have more desire to pick a book up if it is pretty. In fact, the only reason I didn’t keep up with my 2017 prayer journal before was that the cover got messed up when I left it next to my Himalayan salt lamp that leaked saltwater in the Japan humidity.
It is also just fun to make the outside extra pretty!
Fortunately, because the Leuchturm already comes in such pretty colors, it makes customizing it easier! You could use stickers or whatever you like to customize the cover. I, however, decided to use acrylic paints.
I loved the teal blue cover that I chose, so I left it and just painted on some leaves and greenery with my cheap Apple Barrel paints. Didn’t prep the cover before painting, and it is holding up really well. I also used a Uni Posca white paint pen to do a little lettering saying “Pray without ceasing” from 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Then I sealed it with a thin layer of matte Mod Podge.
I made a little video of painting and lettering my journal! Check that out on Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE
Whew, that’s it! I know that this was a lot of information. But I am just so excited about this simple-to-use DIY prayer journal method! I hope that it inspires you to pray more and wholeheartedly, and maybe to create a prayer journal for yourself!
I truly believe that a prayer journal is such a powerful tool and a necessary one to have!
I have already seen an improvement in my spirit, attitude, and my relationships in just the last week. Prayer is so so powerful!
Much love and many blessings!
Jenna
