Daily Prayer Journal

How to use a Daily Prayer Journal with Prompts

to help you stay focused during your prayer time.

Staying focused during your prayer time can be difficult. I know it is for me, some days more than others.   It is so easy to get sidetracked.

Part of the reason is that we are all just so busy.  It’s hard to sit still when there is so much to do.

Another reason that we sometimes struggle during our prayer time is that we forget all the things that we wanted to pray for.  This is one of the reasons that I started using a Daily Prayer Journal with prompts.  It helps me to stay focused on prayer and reminds me of some of the things that I want to pray about.

This is not intended as a complete prayer guide.  In fact, I have a much larger Prayer Binder that I use at times in my life.  It includes a lot of additional resources for my prayer time.  But, during many seasons of my life, having a simple Daily Prayer Journal with prompts has worked very well for me.

It’s especially nice when we are traveling because it is easy to carry with me (it doesn’t take up near as much space as my Prayer Journal Binder).  Don’t get me wrong, there are times in my life, when the big Prayer Journal Binder is exactly what I want to be using.  But, for the times when something less detailed is needed, my Daily Prayer Journal is exactly what I want.

I thought it would be helpful to share this Daily Prayer Journal with prompts with my you.  Perhaps it is just what you need for this season of your life.  Or, perhaps it is an idea you will save for another season.  Whichever way, I hope it blesses you.

My Daily Prayer Journal is super simple.  I use just one sheet of paper and break the it down into 14 sections.

These are the Sections I am currently using:

• Praise and Worship
• Listen
• Thankfulness
• Repentance
• My Children
• Others
• Our Marriage
• My Husband
• Me
• Work
• Our Mission Field
• Grandchildren
• Family (Parents, Siblings, etc.)
• A Bible Verse for the day

These sections may look a little different for you.  At different times in my life, they have looked different for me as well.

I like it neat and simple.  I simply use a set of colored pens that I use to write the different sections.  I divide the page into two columns and begin on the left hand side putting the date in the upper corner and use that column first.  Then I move over to the upper right hand side and write down that column.  I just leave an empty space between each section.  Since I’m using different colored pens, it is easy enough to visually separate them.

Sometimes I pray as I write, but most often I write out each section and then I pray using the words I have written as a starting point in my prayer.  The words simply act as a guide to keep me focused during my prayer time.  I don’t write out my prayers (i.e. sentences).  I just write a word or two representing what I want to pray about.

I do pray each section before I write anything down on the next.  That just happens to work best for me, you may prefer to write out everything first and then pray through it all.

To give you an idea of how you could use these prompts; here are some suggestions:

Praise and Worship

List a few names of God, the ones that are on your mind that morning (ex. Lord God Almighty).  Follow those with some examples of who God is to you (ex. my Protector).  You may also want to follow those with some attributes of God (ex. trustworthy)

Listen

Early in our praying time, it is wonderful to spend time just listening silently for the Lord, stilling your heart in preparation of praying to your Savior.  You could write a simple phrase here such as “my hope is in You” or perhaps it will just be His name, “Jesus”.  Just spend this time focusing on God and preparing your heart for this special time.

Thankfulness

Some people love to write gratitude journals, or make a list of 3 things they are grateful for each day.  If you do this, then you may already have this section covered.  If not, consider writing down just one thing that you want to thank the Lord for this day.

Repentance

Is their sin in your life?  Has the Lord convicted you of something?  Here is an opportunity to write out what it is and ask the Lord to help you remove that sin from your life.

Children

My children are all grown, but there is plenty that I wish to pray about for their lives.  Whatever the age of your children, here is the perfect place to list out what is on your heart for them.

Others

Are there friends who are sick?  Going through a struggle?  Traveling?  Are there missionaries that you wish to pray for?  This is a place to list out the people that have asked you to pray for them or those you know need prayer.

Marriage

Is there a special need in your marriage that you want to bring before the Lord?  List it here.  Are you not married and waiting on the Lord to bring that special man into your life.  Let the Lord know you are waiting on His will.

Husband

Has your husband asked you to pray about something specific for him?  Is there an area in his life you feel called to pray about?  That’s what this section is for.  If you are not married, you could just skip this section, or use it to pray for your future mate.  God knows who he is even if you don’t.

Yourself

This is the perfect place to write down something that you are struggling with.  Bring it to the Lord.  He wants you to share what is on your heart.

Work

Is there a specific area of work that is a problem for you?  Do you work at home and need time to get work done?  Are you not sure if you are at the right job?  Whatever your doubts and concerns are, the Lord wants to hear about them from you.

Our Mission Field

We are all missionaries, wherever we are.  We are called to share the gospel and God’s love with others. We should regularly ask the Lord to make it clear to us what, where and how we are to be serving Him.  Let Him know you are willing and desire to do His will.

Grandchildren

Just as with our children, we will never stop praying for our grandchildren.  I don’t know about you, but my grandchildren are about 800 miles away.  That is so, so hard.  They are still both under 3 years old, but there is plenty to pray about for them even now.  Not just for their health and safety, but for things in their future – salvation, friendships, relationships, etc.  It is never too soon to pray about their future.

Family

Are there special needs for your family members – your parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, extended family members, etc.    Are they dealing with life struggles, an illness, applying for a new job, etc.?  This is a perfect place to add those requests.

Bible Verse

You may have another section or two that you want to add at this point.  I like to add a Bible Verse at the bottom of my Daily Prayer Journal.  It may be one that I want to pray or it may just be one that the Lord impressed upon my heart.

One of the nicest things about having a Daily Prayer Journal is that it is so encouraging to look back at a later date and see how God has answered your prayers.  Having a dated written Prayer Journal is a great visual reminder of how God works in and through our lives.

I know how inspiring it can be to start with a new, pretty sheet of paper when starting something new, so I prepared a beautiful Daily Prayer Journal with Prompts just for you.  In fact, I made two different versions for you to choose from.  You can download them and make as many copies as you want.

If you would like to receive these freebies, please sign up for our newsletter below. 

Our first email will include the password to our Freebies page where you can access these Daily Prayer Journals with Prompts, plus our other freebies.

Is there something particular that you struggle with in your prayer time?  If so, please share in the comments section below.

Other posts on prayer that you may be interested in:

How to Pray 24/7

Mustard Seed Faith