How Journaling Can Help You Draw Closer to God
Journaling with Jesus
Imagine With Me…
Shauna longs to know God better. Although she grew up in a church, she doesn’t feel a personal connection to Him. She struggles to pray, thinking about long prayers in church, usually read by a minister. These prayers contain formal language and religious phrases.
Trying to pray makes Shauna feel awkward. She doesn’t feel she can string together the right religious words to make her prayers meaningful. Her attempts at prayer usually amount to a couple of sentences, and she worries that she might not be praying in a way that God would pay attention to.
One day, Shauna meets up with a friend, Aiyana, for lunch.
“Hey, do you want to thank God for our food?”
“Uh, I’m not very good at praying. I don’t know what to say.”
“OK, I’ll do it,” says Aiyana. She says a few sentences of thanks for the food, asking God to bless it.
“Wow! You made that seem simple.”
“Prayer is just talking to God. It doesn’t have to be fancy.”
This leads to a conversation about prayer and how it draws us close to God.
Shauna explains that she doesn’t know what religious words and phrases to use when she prays.
“Trying to pray seems like a chore.”
Aiyana knows that Shauna has a passion for writing. She often writes stories or shares her thoughts in written form, and she sometimes talks about wanting to write a book.
So, she comes up with an idea. “Shauna, why don’t you try writing letters to God to tell Him what you want to say? Let Him know how you want to know Him better. Ask Him for help with things. Read your Bible and write down what He shows you. I think that will solve your problem with praying,”
“Do you think God would be OK with that? I can write God a letter, and He won’t mind that I haven’t spoken my prayers?”
“Sure! He loves to hear from us in whatever way we want to talk to Him. Shauna, try writing Him a letter every day for a month and see if that helps you feel better about praying. God hears all of our prayers, and the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf, even when we don’t have words. Did you ever think about how the book of Psalms in the Old Testament is like David’s prayer journal?”
A month later, the friends talk again.
Shauna excitedly tells Aiyana, “I love talking to God by writing! I am starting to feel close to Him. And if I’m not in a situation where I can sit down and write, I think my thoughts to God. Sometimes, when I sit quietly, I hear Him thinking thoughts back to me as well.”
Journaling Is a Way to Interact with God
Shauna has discovered how journaling her prayers has opened a way to experience God in a deep personal way.
Growing closer to God through journaling can be an adventure. It nurtures a deeper relationship, gives us insight into God’s character, and teaches us how to truly bring our burdens to Him.
Getting Started
Getting started might seem difficult if you’ve never tried writing a spiritual journal. Here are a few tips to help you along the way:
Choose aTime
I like to spend time with Jesus in the mid-morning. Others like to get up early to journal. But this isn’t easy for everyone. Maybe you go to work early, have a baby or toddler, or have a medical condition that makes morning devotions difficult. Or maybe, like me, you are a night owl with trouble waking up early.
Parents of young children especially have difficulty finding time to read the Bible, let alone journaling time. Early mornings or late nights might be the only times that work for you. Don’t feel guilty if all you have is five minutes to write a prayer to God. He understands!
Please don’t beat yourself up over it. God delights in meeting with you—whether it’s at 6 am., 3 pm., midnight, or any other time. Pick a time when you can show up daily and give God your full attention.
Pick a Location
Also, pick a place where you will regularly journal with God. My spot is my kitchen table, where I sit with a cup of tea. I can look out over my backyard while I contemplate Bible verses I've read or people who need prayer. My journal and pen sit there, ready for me to write.
If you are a parent, you can teach your kids not to disturb you when you're spending time with Jesus. Perhaps you can trade off time with your spouse so that you each get some alone time in the room of your choice while the other keeps the kids busy in another part of the house or outside.
Pick a quiet, comfortable, and enjoyable place to journal. This could be your local library, a coffee shop, sitting by a lake, your backyard, or your favorite chair.
Jesus doesn't care where you are. He just wants you to come and spend time with Him.
What to Write
Write your prayers or thoughts on Scripture verses you are reading. And if you sense God is revealing or telling you something, write that down also.
Knowing what to write is hard when you're new to journaling. That’s why it can be helpful to use a Scripture-based guided journal. This kind of journal includes prompts or questions to help you get started.
Of course, you don’t have to use one. There’s nothing wrong with using a blank journal or notebook for your letters to God. But if you’re struggling with devotional journaling, you might benefit from a guided journal.
I will provide you with a free sample guided journal to download at the end of this article.
Journal Consistently
You can’t grow a deep friendship with someone you only see once or twice a year and never speak to at other times. True intimacy must be cultivated. Close relationships may include doing things together, talking, sending text messages, having Skype or Facetime sessions, sharing silly videos, and even exchanging GIFs.
Our relationship with Jesus comes from spending time with Him, and journaling can enrich that time. Of course, you might not journal daily, especially at first. But if you experience God more while writing your thoughts and prayers, you will enjoy it enough to want to do it often.
Don't Let Your Emotions Dictate
Even if you don't feel like it, take at least a few minutes to read some Bible verses, pray, and write. Sometimes taking that step of faith opens the door to an unexpected experience with God.
Feeling the presence of God during your journaling sessions is an experience that changes you. It seems like you’re sitting down with Jesus to talk to each other - like you have a unique relationship.
But not every journal entry will be exhilarating. You won't always feel like you’re standing in God's throne room. Don’t let this discourage you. Over time, your journaling time with Jesus will develop your faith and relationship with Him. At some point in the future, you might look over something you wrote in your journal previously and be amazed at how you have grown since writing it.
Purpose in your heart to meet with Jesus and spend time with Him regularly. The more often, the more you’ll recognize His voice and feel His presence.
Don't Worry About Writing Skills
Your journals don’t have to be filled with good penmanship, fancy descriptions, perfect grammar, or correct punctuation. Instead, God is hearing your heart, delighted that you are coming to communicate with Him. He can’t wait to hear from you!
To get started, download “Journaling Time with Jesus.”
Want to know more about Devotional Journaling? Click to read my article called Devotional Journaling.