A few years ago I started keeping a prayer journal. A lot has happened in my life since then. Truthfully, it’s been quite a rollercoaster ride. Along the way I’ve offered up many prayers to God and received many answers back from Him. So much happens that it’s easy to lose track of all of the things God has to say to me. That’s why I’m glad I started a prayer journal. When I get discouraged and think I’ll never hear from God again, I can look over my journal entries and see the goodness of God as He answered my prayers and kept me going when I wanted to give up.

I tend to keep journaling pretty simple and I don’t write in it every day.  But when God has something important to say to me or I have a deep down need to write to Him, I get it out and make an entry. Whether I feel good or bad, I pour my heart out to God on paper. Sometimes I’ll write out a prayer directly to God just as I would say it to Him.  And sometimes it’s just my feelings about the day or situation I’m in. (Hey, sometimes its silly doodles of flowers, cuz I’m girly like that! J )

No matter what I write or have to say about my crazy life, the best part of my prayer journal is keeping track of what God says back to me. His answers always give me comfort in the moment. But I also know that I will look back over them sometime in the future and find strength in His words again.

It’s always interesting to see the many different ways God has of answering prayer.

God uses His own word to speak to us. So it’s no wonder that the pages of my prayer journal are filled with scripture after scripture. Each one of them holds a special meaning to me, so I make sure to write out not only the verse but also why God gave me that particular scripture in response to my prayer.

Recently I read through some of my old entries and found a verse from Romans 15:5 “Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus.” What really sticks out to me in this verse are the words perseverance and encouragement. I’m positive that God spoke these words into my heart that day because I had asked Him for those two exact things the day before. But if I had not recorded that response from God in my journal along with my thoughts and prayer I wouldn’t be able to look back on it now and remember just how good God is in answering my prayers.

Sometimes God will speak to us through a thought or just one word that we know without a doubt is from Him. And I have pages and pages of notes God has given to me in a sudden burst of inspiration.

God speaks to us through other people. How many times have I been minding my own business and God has said something to me through another person? So many times it’s hearing the pastor preach a sermon that gets right to the heart of the matter. Or it could be having a conversation with a dear friend who openly shares her own circumstances with me. Or even just sitting in traffic and listening to a song on the radio. However God speaks to me I try to write about it in my journal. I don’t want to forget what He said and I don’t want His words to fall away unnoticed just because I get busy in this crazy mess we call life.

Just like me, I’m sure you’re on your own rollercoaster ride of nonstop action. And I promised you in the title of this post that a prayer journal would change your life. So I’d like to share with you three things that have really changed in my life since I began keeping a prayer journal. Each of them builds on the next. And before you know it your life, in particular your prayer life, will be changed!

#1 I realized God really does listen when we pray.

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

                                                              Jeremiah 29:12

Seeing really is believing. So, when we see God’s answers to our prayers written down in black and white, we start to understand that God really listens when we pray. As I said before, it is incredible to look back at my previous journal entries and see the way God has faithfully answered my prayers. In those times when I was desperate for an answer and couldn’t wait to hear from God, He listened and He answered.

#2 Thankfulness filled my heart.

but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

                                                                 Philippians 4:6

How is it possible to go through difficulties and at the same time pray with thanksgiving? The answer is simple, as the pages of our journals begin to fill up, thankfulness is a natural reaction to so many answered prayers. That thankfulness builds up inside and covers all of the dark places we try so hard to hide. It grows and takes root until our hearts are filled to the brim with thankfulness for everything God has done.

#3 My relationship with God grew closer and closer the more I prayed.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

                                                                Psalm 145:18

Isn’t it amazing to know that God wants to talk to us? And that He wants to have a real and meaningful relationship with us? Closeness with God is what I crave the most and it’s what I’ve found through my prayer life. The more time I spend with Him, the better my relationship with Him becomes. If like me, you’re longing for closeness with God, it’s just a prayer away. The more you call upon Him the nearer He is to you. All you have to do is start the conversation, He’ll do the rest.

I hope that this post has given you a few ideas of where to start with your prayer journal. There is no right or wrong way to do it.  A lot of people fill their journals with pictures and artwork or maybe stickers that have meaning to them. (And who doesn’t love a cute sticker? J ) Others just want to write down their feelings, thoughts or answered prayers. Whatever you choose to put in your journal, the real power within its pages is knowing that God is listening when you pray and that He is answering you too. It may sound simple, but that’s how a prayer journal will change your life! Praying for you to see answered prayers filling up your pages soon!

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The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

                                                               James 5:16

Prayer is powerful! And it has the ability to accomplish so much in our lives. It is our direct line to the creator of the world. Each prayer lifted up to God is a powerful and effective tool.  Below are some of the many Bible Verses about Prayer. I pray that they will help you to take hold of this amazing power and see it at work in your life.

God promises to hear our prayers.

God hears every one of our prayers and He answers them too. This is our promise from God, He hears us when we call out to Him and He will not ignore or forsake us in our weakness. That is the kind of promise that gives us complete confidence. We can take anything to God. No matter how big or small our troubles are, He wants to talk to us about it.

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

                                                                 1 John 5:14-15

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.

                                                                Psalm 145:18

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

                                                                Jeremiah 29:12

The Lord is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

                                                               Proverbs 15:29

Prayer in the Psalms

The Psalms are filled with heartfelt cries to Our Heavenly Father. Here is a select few to start with. I encourage you to seek out others. They will lift you up as you lift up your prayers to God. And don’t forget, praying scripture, God’s own word, back to Him is powerful. So, don’t be afraid to recite these verses or even part of them to God.

I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.

                                                                Psalm 17:6

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.

                                                              Psalm 5:3

He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.

                                                              Psalm 102:17

Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

                                                               Psalm 141:2

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

                                                             Psalm 4:1

Jesus prayed.

Here’s an amazing thought, Jesus prayed for help the same way we do. When He needed help, He went to God in prayer. When we need help, we should follow His example and take our troubles to God too.

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

                                                                  Matthew 26:42

Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

                                                                 Luke 6:12

Jesus taught us how to pray.

The Lord’s Prayer is a passage of scripture that we are all familiar with. We have heard it many times and probably know it by heart. But there is a pattern to this prayer that teaches us how to pray. Within it, there are six requests. The first three are to see the kingdom come, or God’s will in our lives. The second three are to meet the needs of the one praying. Then it ends with praise for God. It is perfectly okay to recite these words of Jesus as is, or use them as a template to follow in our own prayers.

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

                                                          Matthew 6:9-13

Holy Spirit prays for us when we don’t know what to pray.

Sometimes we just don’t know what to pray. The words get caught in our throat or they just don’t come at all. But that’s okay, because in these moments our Helper, the Holy Spirit, prays for us. This is honestly one of my favorite verses. It shows how much love God has for us and how He accounted for every hardship we could possibly face. It gives me so much encouragement to know that in my weakness the Holy Spirit is praying for me. I hope that knowing the Spirit is praying for you will give you the same encouragement it has given me.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

                                                                   Romans 8:26

This is not in any way a comprehensive list of every Bible verse about prayer. But I hope and pray that it encourages you in your daily walk with Christ. And that it gives you a starting place to search out more scriptures and have a more fulfilling prayer life. May God bless you as you continue steadfastly in prayer!

rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

                                                               Romans 12:12

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