A prayer journal is a notebook (or a file) where you write your prayers instead of only saying or thinking them. You might write a few lines to God about your day, list the people you are praying for, copy a verse that caught your attention, or note what you are thankful for. That’s all it is. There is no special format you have to follow.
If you are wondering how to keep a prayer journal, the short answer is this: pick something to write in, choose a small and regular time, and write to God the way you would talk honestly to someone who loves you. After reading this guide, you will have a simple setup, four ways to fill a page, and a plan for the days you miss.
What a prayer journal is, and what it is not
Many Christians find that writing slows their prayers down. A thought that would drift away in silent prayer stays put on paper. Over weeks and months, the pages also become a record you can look back on: what you asked for, what you were afraid of, what you gave thanks for.
A prayer journal is not a performance or a test of how faithful you are. Nobody grades it. Your handwriting can be messy, your sentences can trail off, and some entries can be a single word. Jesus pictured prayer as something private and unhurried:
“But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6)
Your journal can be one form of that inner room. You are writing to God, not to an audience.
Setting up: what you actually need
You need very little. Here are a few options, and none of them is more spiritual than another:
- A plain lined notebook. Cheap, portable, and easy to start over in.
- A dotted or blank notebook. Good if you like to sketch, draw arrows or make small lists.
- A notes app or a password-protected journaling app. Useful if you type faster than you write, or want your journal on your phone.
- Loose pages in a folder. Handy if a fresh notebook feels too precious to “ruin.”
Then add a few small habits that make the practice easier to return to:
- Date every entry. Later, dates are what make looking back meaningful.
- Keep a Bible or a verse list nearby. You may want to copy a line or two as you pray.
- Choose a regular time. Morning coffee, lunch in the car, or the 10 minutes before bed all work. Five minutes counts.
- Leave a margin or a back page. Use it to note answers, changes or questions over time.
If you want a ready starting point for your first few days, the prayer prompts give you a question to begin with when the page feels too blank.
Four simple ways to write your prayers
You don’t have to pick one method forever. Many people rotate depending on the day, or blend them. Here are four that work well on paper.
| Method | What you write | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Open letter | A letter to God in your own words | Days with a lot on your heart |
| ACTS | Four short parts: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, asking | Days you want some structure |
| Prayer list | Names and needs, with dates | Praying for others faithfully |
| Verse and response | A verse, then your honest reply | Pairing prayer with scripture |
The open letter
Start with “Dear God,” or “Lord,” and keep writing. You might begin: “I don’t really know what to say today, but I’m tired and I’m worried about Mom’s test results.” Let it be honest, including frustration and doubt. The Psalms are full of people saying exactly what they felt, and you are allowed to do the same:
“Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.” (Psalm 62:8)
If letters suit you, the guide on writing a letter to God goes further into this form.
ACTS
ACTS is a simple pattern many Christians use to shape a prayer. Each letter stands for one part:
- Adoration: praise God for who God is. “You are patient with me.”
- Confession: name where you fell short. “I snapped at my son this morning.”
- Thanksgiving: thank God for specific gifts. “The neighbor who shoveled our walk.”
- Supplication: ask for what you and others need. “Help me find work before spring.”
Each part can be one line. On a busy day, four lines is a whole prayer.
The prayer list
Some people keep a running list of people and needs, often on a separate page. Write the name, the need and the date: “Oct 27, Jenna, surgery Friday.” When something changes, add a note in the margin rather than crossing it out. You might be surprised, months later, at how much has happened.
Verse and response
Copy one verse, then write back to God about it. Philippians gives a good one to begin with:
“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
Your response might be: “Everything? Even the small stuff about money? Okay. Here’s what I’m anxious about today…” Then list it, and add one thing you are thankful for.
Looking back over your pages
One quiet gift of a prayer journal is rereading it. Once a month, or at the end of a season, flip back through a few weeks. Many people find it helps to notice three things:
- What changed. A situation resolved, a relationship softened, or your own attitude shifted.
- What stayed the same. Some prayers go on for years. That isn’t failure; it is faithfulness.
- What you didn’t expect. Sometimes the thing you prayed about most turns out to matter less than something you mentioned once.
Be gentle as you read. You are not keeping score of answered and unanswered prayers or measuring whether God came through. You are simply noticing your own life of prayer, with all its waiting, honesty and small mercies.
If you want a daily form of this kind of noticing, the examen journal guide describes a short evening practice of looking back over the day with God.
When you miss days or feel nothing
Almost everyone who keeps a prayer journal has gaps. Weeks go by. You open the notebook and find your last entry was in March. That is normal, and it doesn’t mean you have failed or lost your faith.
When you come back, skip the long apology. Just write today’s date and one honest sentence: “It’s been a while. I’m here.” That is enough to begin again.
Dry seasons happen too, when you write and feel nothing at all. You can say that in the journal. “I’m writing this and it feels like talking to the ceiling” is a real prayer. Many Christians have walked through long stretches like this, and an honest line on a hard day still counts. For more on writing truthfully, including doubt and anger, see journaling the heart.
A few small fallbacks can help on the hardest days:
- Write one name and one need.
- Copy a single verse without commenting on it.
- Write “Thank you for…” and finish it once.
- Write “Lord, have mercy” and close the notebook.
If restarting is a pattern for you, the guide to keeping a journaling habit has practical ideas for slips and restarts that apply to prayer journals too.
Three prompts to try
- What is weighing on you most today, and what would you like to say to God about it, exactly as it is?
- Who are three people you want to pray for this week, and what does each one need?
- Looking back over the last month, where do you notice a small mercy you didn’t thank God for at the time?