
Last month I was browsing through a bundle purchase I made, and found ideas for a prayer journal.
“A prayer journal?” I thought. “I always pray. Do I need a prayer journal?” The answer turned out to be a resounding YES!!!
As I started looking into what, exactly, a prayer journal is, and watched some youtube videos, I was immediately sold. Yes! A way to be organized and methodical with my prayers; some direction and prayer prompting! I got excited.
I got so excited that I started my own prayer journal, and hosted a prayer journal workshop at my church. We all brought our own supplies, and had opportunity to work together and fellowship while we put together our journals. I provided several handouts of prayer prompts that I’d found online.


I sewed a fabric and batting cover for it from a fabric that brings me God’s peace.
This was a process over a few weeks of arranging, re-arranging, making pages; and writing verses, prayers, and requests. It is still a work-in-progress as God gives me new insights and things to pray for. I love that this is a dynamic work.
I highly recommend a prayer journal (several of the youtube videos call them, “war binders”). My prayer time has blossomed. I am definite in my prayers for various people and organizations; my prayer time is focused and guided (instead of mind-wandering); I have a new and even closer connection with my Lord; I can easily spend an hour praying; and I LOVE my prayer time.
I use a mini-binder because I like the feel of the smaller size. (A mini binder fits pages that are half the size of 8 ½” x 11” pages.) I started with a 1” ring width, but had to go with 1.5” because I put so much in it.
Many of my pages that are filled with prayers have little sticky markers: I don’t pray every page every day. I pray one or two items on a page, then move the marker to the next one, to remind me where I left off.
To stave off distractions from taking me away from my prayers, I keep note paper nearby. When something pops into my mind that I don’t want to forget, I jot it down. Now I don’t have to worry about forgetting something important, and I can concentrate on praying.
I have several sections that I pray through every day; and I have five other sections that I pray Monday – Friday. As specific needs occur, I write them down wherever appropriate.
- Praise
- Includes a Grateful section, Bible verses, clips from online sources, an Aha! section of things that strike me as being so cool about God, and pages of hymnals that I copied


- Self
- This is a pretty thick section, because I need a lot of prayer!
- Includes prayers from Supplications, various clippings, Confession section, hymns, prayer requests from this Maggie blog, and a calendar page from pdfcalendar.com (link below) to remind me of upcoming events to pray about




- Husband
- Includes prayers from Supplications, various online gems, Praying for Pastor and Church Leaders, and a Health section


- Marriage
- From Supplications
- Family
- Includes a sub-section for parents, children, siblings & families, and in-laws
My Monday – Friday sections:
- Monday: City, State, and Nation (& World)


- Tuesday: Social Issues (abortion, LGBTQ, trafficking)
- Wednesday: my church (people / prayer requests, missionaries, outreach)
- This would usually include specific prayer for church leaders, but my husband is a church leader, so I put that section in with his.


- Thursday: Friends & Neighbors


- Friday: Persecuted, Prison Ministries / Prisoners, Homeless




Following are some things to think about before you put together a prayer binder. At the end are several online resources.
Do you have a prayer binder? Do you have resources to share?
Binder options:
- Ring-style or spiral / permanent bound?
- Ring-style (regular or smaller-size):
- you can add / take out / rearrange pages as you need
- You can take out pages to use, say, for sermon notes at church, then insert back into your notebook; you don’t have to take the whole notebook with you
- Keep a clipboard handy for when you want to take out separate pages to write on
- Spiral or otherwise bound:
- can’t move or add pages
- but you can use sticky notes / sticky tabs; can glue in pages
- easier to carry around
- Ring-style (regular or smaller-size):
- search “journal binder” or “prayer journal” on amazon or Christianbook.com
- “3-ring binder” or “binder portfolio” or “mini portfolio binder” or “mini binders 5.5 x 8.5 three ring” or “blank journal” or “travel binder” on amazon
- watch out for how many rings; be sure you have a hole punch / pre-punched papers for those hole patterns
Big picture considerations:
- Is this a lifetime journal, or will I make one for each year?
- What size?
- Will I take this with me to waiting rooms? Prayer group?
- Will this be a stationary piece in my prayer closet?
- Do I want a separate section for answers to prayer, or will I include answers along with the prayers?
- Will I write directly on the pages, or write on sticky notes to stick on the pages; or both?
- Will this journal be only for prayer, or will I also use it for Bible study journaling?
- In a pre-bound journal (i.e., spiral notebook), make pages and sections (or outline your plan) before adding section tabs, so you have an idea of how many pages for each section
You may want to include:
- Calendar to jot events to pray for
- A front page of prayer-inspiring Scripture
- The Lord’s Prayer
- Section for Scripture memorization
- Sections for praise, adoration
- Attributes of God
- Praise Scripture
- Section labeled Confess or Repent / what needs pruning
- Bible studies / book study (group or individual)
- Sticky notes / jot-a-note
- Ideas to include in the journal
- Random thoughts that intrude, and you need to take care of them later (i.e., don’t forget to add pineapple to the grocery list): put these in a special spot once you’ve written them down, so you don’t have to concentrate on remembering them.
- Goal pages
- Inspirational page(s): quotes, ideas
- Printed prayers that mean something to you
- Poetry
- Hymn or praise song lyrics / sheet music
- Names of God / Jesus / Holy Spirit
- Coloring pages
- “Aha!” page
Arrangement of sections:
- Days of the week: Pray for specific issues on each day of the week (i.e., family, marriage, children on Mondays; church, leadership, church groups on Tuesdays; etc.)
- Prayer issues (sections for family / church / ministries / prayer group, etc.)
Prayer / Section Suggestions:
- Family
- Self, spouse, children
- My home
- Extended family
- Leadership / Government (local, state, national, world)
- Workplace
- Churches
- Specific church ministries or groups
- Church leadership
- Church participation
- Families in your church
- Truth in preaching and teaching
- Missions
- Salvation
- Health
- Families / Marriages; legal battles, transgender / LGBTQ, etc
- The persecuted
- Prison ministries
- Friends
- Healing / emotional / relational
- World events (abortion, persecution, etc.)
- Specific ministries / schools / organizations
- Work / school
- Testimonies
- Growth areas
- Affirmations
- God’s promises / witness to His faithfulness
- Pouring out your heart / issues precious and dear to you
- Listening to God: things God is telling me
- Finance
- A prayer group you belong to
- Urgent needs (“Emergency Room”)
- Other
Supplies:
- Binder OR spiral notebook OR bound journal
- Binder: normal size or half-size or other-size
- Binder paper (pay attention to the kind of binder you’re using, and the hole placement)
- Packets of paper sold for that style of binder
- Scrapbook paper
- You can design and print your own pages
- Some pages can be cardstock
- “Extra” pages can be glued into a spiral notebook or bound journal
- Sticky divider tabs OR can make your own out of cardstock, and glue to pages
- Divider tabs can go along the side and/or the top
- Sturdy elastic headband or other method to keep your journal closed and secure
- Binder pockets
- Divider pages OR make your own
- Different kinds and colors of pens and pencils
- Eraser
- Sticky notes of all sizes, shapes and colors
- Calendar pages
- Clipart
- Hole reinforcers
- Fun paper clips & binder clips
- Page protectors / sheet protectors
- Glue stick / double-sided tape / glue pen
- Pen & pencil pocket (big enough to keep sticky notes, etc)
- Scissors
- Cutting board / paper cutter
- Hole punch
- Label-maker
- Fabric
- Hot glue gun
- (Pretty) envelopes
- Scrapbooking supplies
- Lettering & numbering
- Stickers
- Pockets / pocket pages
- Colored or patterned tape or sticky strips
- Scrapbook paper
- Cardstock
- Stencils
- Washi-tape (Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, dollar stores)
- Sheet protectors for your-size binder
- Old books to include pages (see what the library is giving away or very cheap; Goodwill; Salvation Army; second-hand stores)
- Bible pages
- Hymnals
- Pictures you can cut out and glue in
- You can separate whole books from their bindings and include some or all pages, or make a separate binder. Hole punch the pages to insert into a binder.
Online Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ft87GqgETs How to Make Your Own Prayer Journal! Stacey Johnson 41:12 spiral-bound student notebook w/ dividers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElRJCoBvQNo My Prayer Binder: Flip Through and Thoughts Cori Spieker 1:01:35 3-ring ½ size binder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D9S6Yq6zBY WAR BINDER PRAYER JOURNAL SETUP- How to Make Your Own DIY Faith Journal | Ideas and Flip Through Kaye Lean Ramos 20:04 3-ring ½ size binder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hmy3Dd9Djc Bible Study Binder & Prayer Journal Notebook: How to DIY Crazy Simple Truth, Nicki Drake 11:57 3-ring binder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7chAgKsfVE Prayer Binder flip through with Dawne! Kari Denker (with Stone Soup for Five) 45:30 3-ring, ½ – size binder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFKLXz1Cdkk Recycle your Toilet Roll Cores into Pretty Pockets! Angela Kerr 44:11 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi6z_xI894c Recycle and Reuse Toilet Roll Tubes Gi Kerr 25:07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15BoCfZK0Ew Prayer Journal Set Up / War Binder DIY Annie Smith 28:40 spiral-bound sketchbook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPqnhlAX35M&t=0s Prayer Notebook Gina Garland 8:45 3-ring ½ size binder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRh8QBuTWTA Prayer Binder Walkthrough Kari Denker 11:19 3-ring ½ size binder
https://www.stonesoupforfive.com/p/tutorials.html
https://www.stonesoupforfive.com/2014/11/a-walk-through-my-prayer-binder.html
https://www.stonesoupforfive.com/2018/05/all-things-prayer-binder.html homepage https://www.stonesoupforfive.com/
https://www.dailydwelling.com/prayer-journal-printables-updated/
http://www.dailydwelling.com/prayer-journal-printables/
https://www.dailydwelling.com/category/printable/
https://hosannasmom.wordpress.com/tag/word-cloud/
http://inspiredtoaction.com/resources/
https://ifapray.org/resources/prayer-guides-and-resources/
https://www.josh.org/resources/spiritual-growth/attributes-of-god/
https://banneroftruth.org/us/devotional/a-disciples-renewal/ https://www.chapellibrary.org/book/dado/doctrine-and-duty-of-self_examination
http://storage.cloversites.com/arkansasbaptiststateconvention2/documents/Design%20Guide%20-%20Prayer%20-%20Long%20(Final)_2.pdf Scroll down to Appendix A (pg 6) for a list of convicting questions
http://pdfcalendar.com/ create your own calendar
https://www.angellabundz.com/free-printables
https://latoyaedwards.net/notebook
What a great idea! I love your prayer journal! I like how you organized it into all the different sections.
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I love my prayer journal, too, Michelle! 😊 It really has changed my prayer life and my connection with God. I love how He works!
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My only concern would be if I was inclined to busy myself with organization and optics of my journal (which I am prone to do) at the cost of time in prayer.
One note that this serves as a good reminder for me is to include other areas of prayer besides my “grocery list!” It is too easy for me to get caught on my prayer walk just asking Him for stuff or mercy or blessing for so-and-so, and neglect praise, thanxgiving, and deeper intercession.
thanx for the reminders!!
c.a.
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I get that, c.a., as I am much the same way. I can get caught up in finding great items to include in the journal, printing, creating new pages, etc. – because I did just that for the first week or two. But, it’s settled down now. I spend much time in praise & thanksgiving before moving on to my “list.” I feel then, as I’m presenting my supplications, that I’m more communicating with God, rather than “Here’s what I want. Thank you. Amen.” I’m amazed that He really speaks to me, He hovers around and in and through me, He listens, He rejoices over me with singing!
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Haha, I was thinking the same thing, c.a. The way I obsess with the creative side of things, I’m sure I could spend a huge chunk of time making mine. I spent enought time decorating my “war room” with maps on the wall showing nations I pray for, along with prayer requests and ministries …
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I love that you have a war room! Hmmm, I may need to decorate my prayer corner…
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I use an extra coffee table we have as an “altar,” with a menorah and a candle. When I light the candle, it casts a shadow of the menorah on the wall, right under the cross. It gets me meditating on the Old Testament/New Testament bond, and rejoicing that I have been adopted into the Chosen People.
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That’s pretty powerful. 🕎🛐✝
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It’s so cool!
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I’m lovin’ it! 😁
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Wow! I love all of your ideas for organization! I’m saving this post in hopes that I can incorporate some of your ideas in the future.
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Vickie, I think you will be SO GLAD when you do!
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Wow Kathy this is such a great idea……maybe if we make it our own, we will go there more? Also, thanks for the resources……gonna click on them now. But I love yours…….I must say the cover is very pretty!!
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Thanks, Maxine! With the cover, it’s very inviting to me. Yes, a prayer journal is infinitely malleable and personal. The more you make it yours, the more inviting it becomes. God will speak to you.
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I absolutely love the break down of your prayer journal, Kathy. I do keep a prayer journal, but it look pretty much like a dairy. Love your ideas
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I used to keep a diary-type, too (I had to, so I didn’t forget stuff). This has really changed my prayer life.
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I think I will try to implement it
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Very inspiring…..thank you!
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Try it, you’ll like it! 😊
Really, I pray God brings you deeper into Him.
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Oh I already do journal every morning as I go through 3 devotional and then a chapter in the Bible but nothing even remotely as nice and organized as this! I may have to up my game a bit! 😊
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That’s wonderful! Spending time with God like that is so rewarding.
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Definitely……it has changed my life….in beautiful ways😊❤️
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A great resource Kathy. I have a very simple prayer journal (separate from my insights and thoughts for the day journal) You are organized and from the sounds of that it pays off in being less distracted. I think my journals keep me on the good side of my OCD mind. Anything that helps my tendency to wander is good. A prayer journal workshop is a great idea!
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Most of the videos I watched were from women, but yes, this works for anyone. It has been a good tool to keep me focused and on track.
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Katie, awesome reminder and incentive. I used a prayer journal a few years ago but then somehow got to busy to write it down anymore. I remember it being very effective and it brought me peace at heart with God.
Thank you for sharing and giving me the incentive to start up a prayer journal again again. Prayer is a direct line to God. Love in Christ, Elfriede
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Elfriede, I pray you work out what God has for you. If He’s leading, I’m sure you’ll follow! 😊 I know I was motivated to make mine after reading and watching videos about it.
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I LOVE this! I’ve had a prayer journal before, but not this detailed and planned out. I like the idea of using a small 3-ring binder, so I can add pages. I also like the idea of praying for different things on different days of the week. Well, I like all of it! Thank you! Blessings, Kathy!
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I’m glad this has given you some ideas, Cindy. ☺ I’ve been using my prayer journal, and getting so much more out of my prayer time!
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Reblogged this on Real Christian Women.
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A great post and I hope it inspires people to start a prayer journal. This is a really practical and helpful with lots of ways the journal can be adapted to each person’s individual use. I’ve kept prayer journals for years and they are a great tool especially when I look back through and see God’s faithfulness and the words/promises he gives for different situations.
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Thank you for visiting, “Seeing,” and for taking the time to comment.
I believe this is the reason God directs us to write things down. He wants us to remember important things: answers to prayer, His marvelous works, His tenderloving care, His faithfulness. And then, we must remember to go back and read them. 🙂
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What an awesome idea! You are definitely organized! Love love it! 💜💕 A definite prayer warrior! 🔥🙏🏼
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confession: I do like to be organized. 😊 Messy and chaos are unsettling to me. This is the best area I can think of to be organized.
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There’s nothing wrong with that! You’re doing a great job! 👏🏼
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🥰
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