Writing Your Prayers

Today I'd like to share a method of praying that I've used for many years: writing out my prayers in a journal. I began this practice after reading Becky Tirabassi's book, "Let Prayer Change Your Life." I found her book both inspiring and practical.

Tirabassi's experience with writing her prayers prompted me to do the same. My prayer journal is not as complex as the notebook she suggests, but I highly recommend both the book and the practice of writing your prayers. There is just something about putting your prayers down on paper that gives them power and permanence.

I write my 'Letter to God' during my Quiet Time each morning. I find that I don't pray for as many different things, as I do when I pray silently in my head. (I actually do have time at night for silent prayers.) But the prayers I write down are the ones that are most important to me. Sometimes I write for guidance: asking for direction, which path to choose for the future. Other times I write for forgiveness: specifying where I have sinned and asking that God give me the strength to change and to have mercy on my past errors. Oftentimes I pray for others: for friends who are sick, for ministries of the church, for people on the mission fields, for those who are facing a crisis. Many times I just write out my praise to God: glorifying who He is and magnifying His name.

Because I write every day, I find that I go through more than one journal each year. I love buying a new journal: a different style and color for each season. I sit with my new journal, thumbing through the blank pages, anticipating what I will write on its pages. Just the act of writing keeps my mind focused. Thought of what's next on my schedule or what happened yesterday, don't cloud my mind. I am able, through writing, to concentrate and distill my thoughts. When I've finished one journal, I like to look back through the pages, finding instances of answered prayers and patterns in what I've talked to God about. I love having a record of the progress I'm making in the Spiritual Discipline of Prayer.

Whatever is on you mind to pray for, try writing it down and see for yourself if the practice makes a difference in your prayer life. I hope that, like me, a prayer journal brings new zest and expectation into your prayer life.

"Just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so go on living in him ... in simple faith. Grow out of him as a plant grows out of the soil it is planted in, becoming more and more sure of the faith as you were taught it, and your lives will overflow with joy and thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7 (Phillips)