The Perfectionist’s Prayer Journal

Prayer journals.  Every book I’ve ever read about prayer says you should have one.

My lovely and very-organized friend Pam says you should have one.  One day she told me a story.  Shortly after her father’s very unexpected death, she and her mother were sorting through his things and they found his most recent prayer journal.  “My father was always the kind of man who would agree to pray for something and then come back and check in with you later to see how that specific situation was going.  He’d never offer to pray and then just forget about it,” she said.  “What a comfort it was after he was gone to be able to see that he had been praying very specifically for me and my friends.”

I want to be that kind of woman.  The kind of woman who says, “Yes, I will pray about that” and then remembers to actually pray!

The kind of woman who says, “Yes, I will pray about that” and then remembers to check in later with the person being prayed for to find out how things are going.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten myself a blank book and started a prayer journal.  I write my first request across the top of the page.  Then I write the next request below it.  Then the next request below that.  It’s a good start.

But there are two problems with my system.  The first problem is that my prayer journal sits on my nightstand.  So when I’m out and about and someone asks me to pray for them, it isn’t handy to write the request down in my prayer journal.  Having a prayer journal in a traditional book form, for me, does not solve the problem of forgetting to pray for specific requests.  The second problem is that God never answers my prayers in the order I ask them.  So as my page fills up I’m on the third or fourth page of my journal, but there are still unanswered requests from the first page.  I want to check the requests off.  It’s enough to drive the perfectionist in me around the bend.  (Hmmm… Maybe God is trying to tell me not to be such a perfectionist?)

My solution?  Simple!  4×6 index cards!

With this system,  each request and each person I’m praying for is on a separate index card.  I keep some pre-punched index cards with me in my purse and near my computer so that when I get a prayer request I can quickly and easily write it down.  Then, as soon as I am able, I add the card to my index card organizer.

This particular index card organizer is divided into 4 sections.  There is no “right” or “wrong” way to organize your prayers, but here’s what I do:

The first section is for my immediate family.  My husband and children as well as any specific family prayer requests we have go here.

The second section is for various people that I am praying for.  Friends, people who grieve, people who are ill, extended family and missionaries all go in this category.

The third section is for issues.  Life issues, political issues, church issues all go in this category.

The fourth and final section is for encouragement.  Here I write quotes and Bible verses as I come across them.  Some of my favorite prayer-verses that are in there right now are:

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. – 1 Peter 3:12

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me – Psalm 66:18

Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13

Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God – Philippians 4:6

I also keep some extra blank cards in the back so they will be handy when I need them.

(Need more than 4 categories?  Simply purchase an extra organizer and put them on bigger binder rings.)

Each card is large enough that I can make notes as appropriate.  When the prayer is answered and it’s not something I need to pray about any more, I make sure to write down the date and how the prayer was answered.  Then I simply move the card into an index box.  Later I have a box full of answered prayers to review when I need encouragement!

Need help finding an index box?  There are plenty of cute boxes on Amazon!  Try clicking here, here or here.  You can find some nice wooden boxes here.  I like to have an extra-large index box in anticipation of all those prayer requests I am going to see answered!  But don’t get caught up in perfectionism here.  Before you buy anything, look around the house and see if you already have something that might suffice!

Everyone’s method is different.  How do you organize your prayers?

Disclaimer:  Clicking on the pictures will take you to Amazon.com where you can purchase the same index card organizer that I use.  If you chose to make a purchase through my links, I will receive a small commission which allows me to continue writing here.  Thank you for your support!