I have a plain notebook, nothing special, although it does have grid paper rather than regular lines. I don't have a real reason for the grid paper; I just like it better. The prayer requests are separated under four headings:
- Spiritual
- Health
- Work
- The Rest (lol, really! I never said this was a proper, publishing house-worthy prayer journal.)
Most people are assigned into categories, but I put a little description out beside it anyway, just to give me a little focus. Examples:
- Dad -- heart, stomach, medicines
- [Friend's son] -- family ties, friendship, Walk
- [Friend's husband] -- new job, sustenance work until career position, encouragement
- [Skeeter] -- deadlines, contractors, patience
I use one sheet of paper for each day, and I rewrite it every day, doing my prayer as I go. It makes it easier for me to stay focused because I'm doing something that's tangible at the same time. Before I started the journal, my prayers wandered all over the place, just because I couldn't remember half of the things when I needed to remember them.
Generally, the left side of the page is taken up with various prayer requests, so I put my praises on the right side. Most of the time they're simple things, like Spyder getting 100% on his math, or being able to visit with a friend, but I try to have at least as many praises as requests. I think it's especially important to acknowledge the good as well as ask for help with the bad. Otherwise, I feel like my prayers sound as if I have a bad case of the gimmes, rather like the teen who will only talk to Dad when she needs something.
A prayer journal can be done many different ways, but it will only be helpful if you find the formula that works for you. I stumbled upon my method because of my wandering mind and love of lists. :)
2 comments:
"Love graph paper just like me."
Add that to the list of "Reasons why Noodle just might be my long lost twin." It's a growing list, you know.
Okay, now about the journal, can you clarify for me? You write stuff down during the day to pray for, then you rewrite it as you are praying? Is that how you do it?
Also, I like the idea of having more praises than requests.
Yes, that's exactly it. I start the day with the journal, and I use it to jot notes during the day (if I have need). The next morning, I rewrite the previous day, leaving off the ones I don't need to pray for again (or move to the praise column), and adding the new ones.
It's just like doing a big outline, then moving things around as necessary on a daily basis.
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