Written by Sarah Evangeline

Studies have shown that journaling helps improve your mood by helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns. Journaling opens up the mind and helps regulate our emotions for a greater sense of confidence and self-identity. It’s proven that if a person spends 15-20 minutes journaling a day, he or she can lower their blood pressure and therefore have a greater sense of purpose and happiness.

As I started to write down both my joys and fears, I realized that I could turn my journal into something more specific: a way to talk to God and express myself to Him fully. Over time, prayer journaling became my self-discipline and time with God.

I open up my prayer journal and just start writing. Every time, I am amazed at what flows out from my being. As I write I express both my anxieties and my thankfulness. It helps me to reflect on God’s goodness and what I still hope for. The fun part is going back and reading what I wrote weeks or years ago and seeing God’s hands have been woven in everything.

When I was younger, it was a struggle to pray. I believed God knew my heart and that I could talk to Him about anything, but sitting and expressing my prayers out loud wasn’t enough for me. It didn’t feel real.

Praying to God can be a struggle for many people. Yet, you and I have the amazing opportunity to journey with Him every single day. This requires each of us to develop ways of communicating with God and making Him part of our daily lives.

God is an amazing Father who stays with us always, even if we forget to pray. That’s beautiful! However, our lives can be enriched if we learned to pray without ceasing.

A dear friend once said, “Sometimes we won’t be motivated to read our Bible or to pray, but it’s the self-discipline behind the motivation that will get us to put prayer into action.” She was right.  

The best part about prayer journaling is that when I make it a routine to prayer journal every morning, it helps me then pray with my heart, mouth, and mind throughout the rest of my day. It was the key that unlocked asking God to journey with me through every step of my day. Prayer wasn’t meant to be a one-time thing, but an everlasting refreshment that helps guide us through every part of our lives.

You don’t need to be concerned with grammar or spelling mistakes. Just open your journal and start writing. Keep writing even if you don’t have a specific point—as you continue to write things will naturally flow out. Remember, God knows your heart and the deepest part of your being, but He still wants to be invited in.