{"id":7377,"date":"2024-02-02T10:47:45","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T17:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ericawiggenhorn.com\/?p=7377"},"modified":"2024-03-26T10:59:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T17:59:38","slug":"prayer-journals-for-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericawiggenhorn.com\/prayer-journals-for-women\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Prayer Journals for Women"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Prayer journals for women have grown in popularity over the past few years. I believe I know why women gravitate to prayer journals so readily. For seven years of my life, I met weekly with the Bravo Team for dinner. We coined that name for our foursome because we ate at Bravo, and our purpose in gathering was to cheer one another on in life. The conversations varied widely, some tearful, others contemplative, at times full of laughter and other times silence as we sat together in grief. There were no rules. No agenda. Just raw emotions and honest questions. A reminder that somebody\u2019s got your back and willing to bend their knees on your behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayer journals are a lot like the Bravo Team. They foster connections and conversations that can include every human emotion and condition.  It\u2019s not a script from which you cannot swerve. Nothing is taboo. They are simply a tool for conversation and connection with God Himself, Who engages throughout Scripture with humanity expressing every emotion possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Bravo Team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For most of us, though, we don\u2019t know how to talk to God the way we do with good friends who seem to get us. We might wrestle over what is safe to say and wonder if God can truly understand the plight of the human condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does He really <\/strong>get us? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or is He truly intent on intervening in our lives and helping us process our emotions? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can we pour out our complaints to God, or is that off-putting to Him? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all of these questions, prayer journals provide permission to broach topics with God we might not feel comfortable with otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayer journals can also provide focus for us, varying how we pray and what topics we cover. Most of us live fast-paced lives with constant noise and responsibilities pulling at us. Having a framework in front of us resets our thoughts when we start to wander in prayer. It gives us a goal so we feel good about our growth and helps us develop habits of connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But any routine can grow stale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayer journals also teach us different ways to pray and expose us to various types of prayer in the Bible. Much like going to the gym for forty-five days without ever varying your workout routine, prayer journals provide fresh ways to enjoy your relationship with God and strengthen spiritual muscles you may not normally exercise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Bible study author, I find the most valuable prayer journals start with Scripture. They show me real people with real problems coming before a very real and present God in the Bible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see humans wrestling before Him, begging for help. We find doubters, sinners, and saints all asking the same kinds of questions. And we see God answer. And heal, guide, protect, and restore. We hear Him explain and exhort us to believe in His goodness. In essence, we see a conversation between the Creator and His beloved creatures, inviting closeness. So, my personal preference when it comes to prayer journals is Bible studies with prayer journaling components. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some women\u2019s Bible studies and prayer journals can focus on particular topics or seasons of life, such as loss, grief, a health crisis, or preparing to send your child to college. The prompts center around the circumstance and enable you to process the many questions and emotions faced. Prayer journals for graduates, mothers-to-be, and newlyweds celebrate the changing seasons of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of my favorite topical prayer journals are below, with links to purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayer Journal through Grief<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayer Journals for Moms<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Prayer Journals for Women<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other prayer journals provide an organizational structure to help keep you focused and intentional in covering those you love in prayer.<\/a> They include space for you to remember missionaries, government leaders, church family members as well as those in your immediate circle with whom you rub shoulders daily. These journals are especially helpful in expanding prayer beyond our own immediate concerns and growing in the practice of intercession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These resources can serve as excellent tools for family prayer time during meals or at the end of the day. Small group leaders and Sunday school teachers can utilize these journals to broaden the scope of prayer time in their gatherings as well as keep track of various requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who are creative, coloring prayer journals<\/a> provide support to sit and be still while your mind sits in silence and you talk to God. Creating something beautiful mimics our Creator and allows you to connect with Him in the stillness. Some Bibles<\/a> even offer this feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those on a budget, a simple spiral notebook with a date at the top and your thoughts on the college-ruled lines can serve as a prayer journal. You can look back at your questions and requests and record how God answered and provided clarity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years I wrote out Psalms on the left side of the notebook and then echoed my thoughts in response on the right. Writing Scripture out forced my mind to slow down and focus and through the words of David, I learned how to praise, petition, pour out my pleas, lament my losses and come before God with raw fear and open honesty. David, the man after God\u2019s own heart, taught me that I could come before God with anything: my deepest sin and my most secret desires. He was my safe place in all things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So whether you need to grow in your understanding of prayer, develop a daily habit of prayer, process a certain season or emotion, find a way to organize yourself, or simply learn to be more still, prayer journals can provide the resources and tools you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll look at types of prayers in the Bible, structures and frameworks for prayer, Bible studies and devotionals on prayer, cautions in using prayer journals, and free downloadable templates for prayer journals.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\t\t

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