Creating a Prayer Journal That Works for You (Without Over-complicating It!)
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One of my goals this year was to start a prayer journal. If you’ve been following along, you might remember my post Battling Distractions: My Search for the Perfect Prayer Journal, where I shared my struggle in figuring out the best way to begin. Today, I want to walk you through the steps I took to set up my prayer journal—using what I already had on hand rather than buying a bunch of new supplies.
Gather Materials
I started by looking for a notebook and found one with three dividers. However, you can use whatever works best for you—a three-ring binder, a regular notebook, or even a folder with three-hole prongs. As I set up my journal, I decided to use a folder with prongs because it allowed me to add and remove pages easily while keeping it compact like a notebook.
Here are a few other supplies that were helpful:
- Pens or pencils (whichever you prefer for writing)
- Divider tabs (especially if using a binder or folder)
- Three-hole punch
- Paper
- A notebook, binder, or folder with prongs
Decide What to Track
Before diving in, consider what you’d like to include in your prayer journal. Don’t stress too much about this step—you can always adjust as you go. Here are some ideas:
- Prayer requests
- Answered prayers
- Gratitude journal
- Scripture verses
- Prayers for specific people or topics
Create Sections
Organizing my journal into sections helped me stay focused and intentional with my prayers. Here are some section ideas:
- Myself
- Husband
- Children
- Family
- Friends
- Church
- Nation
- World
- Praise & Gratitude
- Prayer Requests
- Answered Prayers
- Scripture
If you’re using a binder or folder, I recommend adding tabs to each section for easy navigation. I personally like pocket folders with tabs because they allow me to store church bulletins and other important notes.
Set Up Your Journal
Now for the fun part—putting everything together!
I used cardstock to create dividers for each section, writing the section name on each one. Since I didn’t have pre-made tabs, I planned to buy some later. Then, I added lined paper to each section and hole-punched Bible study handouts to include in my journal.
Using My Prayer Journal
This is the best part—actually using it!
My goal in creating a prayer journal was to deepen my prayer life, and I’ve found that writing things down has helped me stay consistent. I use my journal daily to track needs, prayer requests, and answered prayers.
Some people like to dedicate specific days of the week to different prayer topics—for example, Monday for family, Tuesday for church, Wednesday for friends, and so on. I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s something I’d love to incorporate!
One thing I learned along the way is that having everything in one place made a big difference. In the past, I used multiple notebooks, but that actually discouraged me from using them consistently. Now, my prayer journal keeps everything organized and accessible.
And remember—it’s not about perfection, it’s about prayer!
Let’s walk in grace and wisdom together.
With love and encouragement,
**P.S.
Exciting News!
As I used my prayer journal, I realized I wanted more structured pages and additional sections. That led me to start creating my own Faith Journal—and I’m thrilled to share that it will be launching on March 5, 2025!
Stay tuned for more details, and if you’d like to learn more, click here!
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