Do you keep a prayer journal?

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Sorbetto

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Does anyone here keep a prayer journal? I’m actually looking to start one & just wondering if anyone does anything in particular they find very useful/effective. I’ve never kept one so I have no idea how to go about starting. 🙂
 
I suppose you could say I keep a prayer journal. I started last summer, but it didn’t really work out too well. (That was my fault, because I wasn’t really praying much, just not talking to God and letting Him speak to me). I think my problem was that I treated it as a regular journal, except I talked about more spiritual things.

Then I helped put on a peer to peer retreat, and I’ve been writing to God almost every day (I think I missed 2 days or something in the last couple months). I just talk to Him, telling Him about my day, my struggles, thanking Him, and writing generally random things about my life. I usually write at night, because it’s quiet and that works for me, but sometimes I’ll pick it up during the day. Honestly, I would say just start writing to God and see how it goes. It might be hard to do it every day, like I said it took a retreat to get me going, but just do what you can. See what works for you, because I know that everyone’s relationship with God is different. A lot of times I end up doing really different things with it too. I’ll listen to music, write little spiritual stories, but mostly just talk to God. Sometimes I read back over it and usually I get overwhelmed with gratitude because of either how much He’s helped me, or for the blessing I recieved but didn’t see back then.

I don’t know if that helps. Lately I’ve had trouble putting my thoughts into words when talking to other people, so sorry if that was confusing. My advice is to just start and not worry about where it’s going right now, just to see where God leads you.
 
Is a prayer journal like a diary?

I had a friend who once was involved in a group that did “journaling”, is that the same?

+T+
Michael
 
I started a prayer journal a few weeks ago and i can attest to its usefulness. Its a good way of keeping tract of my journey with Christ and also writing down all the amazing things He’s doing in my life.

To help anyone get started, i recommend you check out this link. It will give you a better ideal what a prayer journal is all about!

davenevins.com/loveofgod/topics/more/keeping-journal.htm

Totus Tuus,
brians
 
I kept diaries for years and when I read them back later I was very disappointed that I kept writing the same things and having the same problems year in and year out. Then I learned about praying with scripture using Lectio Divina and I would record what I read and how it went. But Augustinian prayer with scripture involves writing primarily and THAT is VERY good for journaling. I’m sure I could get you a source for those and also Ignatian prayer if you were curious. I journal using all of those ways of praying with scripture and now re-reading my journals is more of a learning experience and it’s also surprising!
 
I have a prayer journal, but it’s not very organized. What I have seen recommended for prayers journals is that they reflect one’s conversations with God.

My most urgent need is to knwo what God wants of me, and to pray that he will open my eyes to what options must be in fornt of me for my life, but whcih I am sure I am not seeing. Things feel pretty hopeless right now, in several respects. I write thoughts I have, quotes I see, or experiences through which I think God is trying to speak to me.

I am trying to develop a more focused and disciplined approach to mental prayer, so much of the writing is about the challenges I experience during this pursuit; what works and what doesn’t. I feel most focused in front of the blessed sacrament, but it is not possible for me to visist a church every day. I am trying to work on the realization that God is everywhere, even if he can be felt most strongly (for me) in his house (the church).

I also record certain devotions I pursue, like novenas for petitions, and how I feel during the course of the devotion; if it feels as if the nature of the petition has changed.

Some days I fill several pages. Some days I just write down a quote that resonnated deep within me for some reason, and then later when I realize why, I write more about that. There are days, when I have nothing to write. I think the ideal is to have something to write every day, but I only started failry recently, and am still getting into the flow.
 
i’m not quite sure on what a prayer journal is, but–
i keep a bunch of old notebooks in a drawer of my nightstand, so before i go to sleep, i write down what has happened throughout the day (or the past days, if i haven’t written in a while). i write about how i feel, things that go through my mind, goals for the next day, and the many questions i have. it lets me reflect on the outcomes of my actions and how i can improve my attitude and views of life. when that’s all done, i write about a couple pages to God, giving thanks and asking him for direction. it’s also a great way to relieve stress and sleep well so you can wake up with a positive outlook for the day!
 
I surely want to start a prayer journal. So that I can have the best clear reminder of important events, some sort of future reference, such as which areas of my life I am praying or have been praying about, which prayers have received answers - so that I can thank God about these (Some prayers take time to be answered and sometimes I loose track, although I get the general feel that God is working in my world). I have no doubt that this can be helpful in spiritual progress.
 
don’t know what others do but I took my habit from the writings of Teresa of Avila. At that time even monks and nuns did not have their own personal bibles so would have the habit of writing down particular verses or passages of scripture, suggested by the Mass readings, their spiritual director, for meditation etc.

so my journal only has the scripture I want to remember or think about–no additional commentary or thoughts of my own.

I have other journals where I journal and most of that inevitably is the result of prayer and meditation, and is any kind of writing, sometimes sketches as well

do I pull out a journal and start writing as part of every prayer session, no. I used to, not now. arthritis makes it harder but I don’t seem to need it much any more, but I still keep the scripture journal.
 
Sorbetto said:
Does anyone here keep a prayer journal? I’m actually looking to start one & just wondering if anyone does anything in particular they find very useful/effective. I’ve never kept one so I have no idea how to go about starting. 🙂
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I do. I start with “Dear Lord,” and pour out my heart to Jesus daily. When I pray with words on paper, I hardly have any distraction. A spiritual prayer journal is very helpful to me.
 
I keep a prayer journal. I use it to record the big things that God is doing with me – odd prayer experiences, answered prayers, spiritual warfare. I update it about once a week as needed. It has been really wonderful because it helps me recognize and remember what God has done for me, and reading it fills me with gratitude.

I tried writing a daily prayer journal, but it didn’t work for me because my prayer time became more about finding something to write than talking to God.
 
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