Prayer Journals

So, I've decided that I'm going to try to post more regularly (we'll see how that goes!), and also that I'm going to try to post more article-typish things, rather than just my life. Just to get some experience and stuff :) So today I am going to write about prayer journals.

I first started keeping a prayer journal when I was around 11, I think. I was reading the Lily series By Nancy Rue (which I would recommend 100% to any 11-13 year-old-girls, and older, just for fun ;) ), and in the books Lily keeps a Talking-to-God journal. I really liked the idea, so I started one and wrote every now and then. I wasn't really a big journal-keeper. But all the same, every so often, when I had a fairly sincere prayer, I would write it in my prayer journal. So that's how it all started.

Right before I turned 12, I started keeping a normal journal, and was surprised to find myself writing in it pretty frequently. The timing was really great, because my life started getting pretty exciting that year ;) I'm so thankful that I wrote in it so much and that I can look back on those times and remember all the details. That journal and the ones that followed once all the space in the first was filled got me in the habit of pouring out my thoughts and feelings and other happenings on a regular basis.

When I was 13, I did a 30-day challenge over the summer with daily and weekly challenges in different categories like mental, physical, spiritual, etc. One of the spiritual challenges was to write in a prayer journal twice a week, or something like that. I pulled out the prayer journal I'd started a while back and poured my heart out to God, about things concerning the challenge as well as other things in my life. At that point my relationship with God was deeper than it had been when I first started the journal, so I think I enjoyed writing/praying more. After those entries for the challenge, I started writing in my prayer journal more regularly, in addition to my non-prayer journal.

Over time, I started writing less and less in my non-prayer journal and more and more in my prayer journal. In my prayer journal I was still recording what was happening in my life, but at the same time seeking God's wisdom and help and strength. It has been so so awesome to read back on the entries that I wrote over the years and see how much closer to God I've grown! It's been so cool to see the prayers that God has answered, as well as the way God has used my situations to work out for good. Psalms 62:8 says: Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. This totally sums up my experience with prayer journaling. Having regular communication with God has helped me grow closer to Him, learn more about Him, and trust Him, and by coming to Him and pouring out my heart to Him in times of trouble, in times of great joy, and everywhere in between, it has shown me that He is surely a great refuge. I really love the times where I just lay on my bed and write to Him about everything on my mind... I can be completely honest and know that He still loves me and treasures me and will help me.

So I'd encourage all anyone reading to give prayer journaling a try! Maybe try committing to writing to God once a week, and see where that takes you. If you have any questions about my experience with it or anything I've made unclear please comment and let me know :) :)

Thanks so much for reading!