A Prayerful Journaling Practice to Foster Peace, Contentment, and Growth

I’ve picked up and put down my journaling habit throughout the years. Although I may wish for stacks of identical journals filled with details from each stage of life, the reality looks more like a mismatched collection of loose papers, spiral notebooks, and computer files. Sermon notes and grocery lists are found sprinkled in among soulful reflections.

For many years, my journaling life lacked direction, and because it lacked direction, it also lacked consistency. While I hold no judgment for the spontaneous, journal-when-you-feel-like-it type, I decided I wanted to incorporate journaling into my daily rhythm, and in order to do that, I needed a framework—a template that would focus my mind on what matters.

As you can likely imagine, the number of ways we can use our journals is limitless:

• Reflecting on the day’s events
• Reflecting on our emotions
• Recording our kids’ milestones and funny comments
• Recording business ideas
• Brainstorming solutions to any number of problems
• Writing out prayers
• Listing what inspires our gratitude

The list could go on and on. One article tells us how to journal for better sleep. The next tells us to write out our stream of consciousness to encourage the flow of artistic creativity. You can google how to journal for better productivity, more self-esteem, and more.

Maybe you’re beginning to see why I lacked direction in my precious-few journaling moments. And maybe it’s why you’re lacking direction too.

I had read all the advice about how to journal and what time of day to write, but I had left out the crucial step of filtering all the information through my “why.”

Finding Your Why

Why did I want to journal in the first place? Why do you want to?

Sometimes we come to an idea because of that big old bully “Should.” With a capital S. Did I want to journal simply because I’d heard how successful people adopted the habit and therefore I should too?

In my case, once I edged my way around the “Should,” I still found the internal drive to journal, but it’s a question worth asking. Are you journaling or planning to journal only because you think you should? If so, then you have permission to lay down the mental burden and use your time and energy elsewhere. But, if after examining yourself, you still find a desire to put down on paper your thoughts and ideas about life, then dig into it further. Discover what motivates you and what you want to accomplish through your journaling practice. If you need some more ideas to get you started, here’s a comprehensive list of reasons to journal.

A Place to Start

I’m going to share with you the journaling practice I’ve pieced together over the years. I don’t necessarily recommend copying my exact journaling practice since we all have different priorities and interests; however, I do think it can be helpful to see someone else’s routine as a starting point to modify as needed. With time you’ll see which sections help you and which ones consistently feel like a chore or result in blank thoughts. Simply remove those sections. It doesn’t mean you failed or that someone’s journaling habit is better or worse than someone else’s. We need to craft a journaling practice to serve us as an individual and the way our unique brain works.

The journaling pages in my downloadable resource include the prompts I discuss below as well as space to write out your thoughts. Punch holes to save your pages in a binder, or copy the headings to the notebook of your choice. You can even setup a template in Day One if you happen to use the app (this is what I do).

Finding Your Time

I prefer to journal in the evening because the practice helps me process my day and then fall asleep without the nuisance of unprocessed thoughts and emotions tumbling around in my head. It also helps me do a bit of planning for the following day which means I won’t have to plan in the middle of the “I want more cereal” and “Where is my toy car? No the orange one! No the other orange one!” saga. But maybe you are wired as a morning journaler. Or a lunch break journaler. You may have to try out a few different times to find what works.

The Framework

Below I’ll go over each of the six sections I include in my journaling rhythm, why I include it, and how it has proven helpful.

1. What’s On Your Mind?

Another title for this section could be “Brain Dump.” I tend to write more words in this section than any other. I use it to process the emotions I’m experiencing. I don’t document the details of my day just for the sake of having a record (although you could absolutely do that here). I’m more interested in finding out why I feel the way I do about various situations, people, or ideas I’ve heard. When I dig down into those emotions and pray for God to help me have right perspective, I am often able to uncover my underlying beliefs. Those beliefs dictate my actions, attitudes, and values, so it’s important to evaluate them with the Holy Spirit’s help to determine whether my beliefs align with Scripture or whether somewhere along the way I’ve accepted a lie as truth.

That may sound heavy for an opening journaling prompt, and sometimes it is, but not always. Often, I write just a couple sentences of what I’m thinking.

I may also use this space to write down anything from the day I want to remember—an achievement, funny words my kids said, or an encouragement from a friend.

2. What are Today’s Wins?

This is one of my favorite sections to write out. The idea here is that you write a list (no complete sentences necessary) of everything from the day you consider a “win.” What I consider a win will be different from you, and that’s okay, but I would encourage you to think small. Think of the small, good decisions you made that day. Most of the items I write here were never on any sort of to-do list, but by listing out these wins you can see how much you accomplished during the day.

Here’s an example of a list I might write:

• Read books with my kids
• Took the stairs instead of the elevator
• Cleaned a bathroom
• Made plans with a friend for coffee
• Cooked a (relatively) healthy dinner for my family

Do you see what I mean about small? These aren’t news-worthy accomplishments, but as I write them, I see the evidence of God moving me forward one small step, one day at a time.

So often we end the day with an unfinished to-do list and feel bad about the tasks we didn’t accomplish. I heard one of my favorite podcasts refer to this as a “ta-da!” list. Almost every time I write down my wins, I remember something good from the day that I had forgotten. When I see “finished laundry” and “15 minute workout” written together, I feel the encouragement and motivation to keep going the next day and to do the sometimes hard, unseen work.

3. What Could I Have Improved Today?

Writing out my wins prepares me for this next section which is to look at my day from the opposite perspective and see what didn’t go so well. By identifying problems or my not-so-great reactions, I can spot them before they become habit. Many nights my parenting shortcomings show up here, but this isn’t about beating myself up. It’s about prayerfully asking God to help me confront my sin.

Because of Jesus, we can look at the reality of our sin while refusing to pick up the shame.

When journaling, if I recall a moment in the day when I sinned by yelling at the kids or having an attitude inconsistent with the way of life Jesus calls me to, then I confess to God and ask his forgiveness. I may realize I need to seek the forgiveness of someone else as well. It reminds me of what I want to do differently tomorrow.

This section also gives me space to do some problem solving about anything from work, writing, time management, or relationships.

Just the other night I was reflecting on the dinner I worked hard to prepare only to sadly overcook the chicken. I love to cook, so I had been frustrated by the outcome. Journaling about it inspired me to immediately order an instant read thermometer and spare myself another overcooked disappointment. The example is a simple one, but it’s a solution that may have taken longer for me to arrive at without my reflection and journaling practice.

4. Where Did I See God at Work?

This is where I practice remembrance. As I intentionally set down God’s record of faithfulness throughout my days, my trust in him grows. Reflecting on this question gives me perspective to see where God is moving and working. When I see it, I can prayerfully contemplate how to partner with God in his kingdom work.

Reflecting on this question gives me perspective to see where God is moving and working. When I see it, I can prayerfully contemplate how to partner with God in his kingdom work. Share on X

5. Gratitude

Next, I write down three things I’m thankful for each night. I try to think of three new things each day. When I know I’ll be writing down statements of thankfulness in the evening, I begin to look for blessings throughout my day.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 118:1

6. Top Three Tasks

In the last section of my journal, I take a moment to prayerfully consider tomorrow. What’s on my calendar? What tasks are waiting on my to-do list? What work would God have me do?

I limit myself to three tasks (not including the regular routines of cleaning and caring for the kids). Three feels like the right amount for my season of life, but you may want to pick five tasks or just one.

With a clearer vision of tomorrow I’m more likely to wake up with excitement and readiness for a productive day.

Wrapping Up

Although I’ve written a lot of words about this journaling routine, the whole process takes only about ten minutes to step through. Sometimes I allow myself more time if I’ve had a lot happen that day, but it isn’t a massive undertaking that requires a large chunk of time. Prayerful journaling can bring about benefits in our lives with just a few minutes each day or even each week.

This is the personal practice that works for me in this season of life, but I encourage you to take what works and leave the rest behind. Maybe you decide to start by listing three items in the gratitude section. Once that becomes habit, you could add another section to your daily rhythm.

Remember, your journaling practice is a tool to serve you, not the other way around.

My hope is that as you incorporate daily prayerful journaling into your rhythms and routines, you will benefit from the peace, contentment, and gratitude that God grows in your heart.