80 Christian journal prompts

How to use these Christian journal prompts

Start your time with a short Bible reading, even just one psalm. Then choose one prompt that fits your day. Write for five to ten minutes. End with a short prayer about what you wrote. That is all.

You do not have to go in order. Some people take one prompt a day for three months. Others choose a theme for a week. If you want a page with set sections, try the devotional journal or the prayer journal template.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24 KJV

Christian journal prompts about your relationship with God

1. Describe how close or far God feels today, using a picture, like a room, a road or the weather.Write
2. What did I think God was like when I was ten? How is that picture different now?Write
3. Which name of God means the most to me in this season, and why?Write
4. Write about a time I sensed God speaking to me through a verse, a song or a person.Write
5. If Jesus walked with me through my day tomorrow, what would I want to show Him first?Write
6. What keeps me from spending time with God, and what is one small fix?Write
7. Which attribute of God do I find easiest to believe? Which is hardest?Write
8. Write about the moment I first decided to follow Jesus, or what is holding me back.Write
9. Where in my daily routine do I feel most aware of God?Write
10. What would change in my week if I really believed God delights in me?Write
11. What has God been quietly teaching me through the same lesson more than once?Write
12. Write a prayer that starts with: Lord, I want to know You more because...Write

Bible reading journal prompts

Use these after you read any passage. For a full study method, see how to journal the Bible.

1. What is happening in this passage, in three plain sentences?Write
2. What does this passage show me about God's character?Write
3. Which person in this story am I most like right now?Write
4. What word or phrase keeps pulling me back? Why that one?Write
5. Is there a promise here? Is it for me, and how do I know?Write
6. Is there a command here I need to obey this week?Write
7. What question would I ask the writer of this book if I could?Write
8. How does this passage point to Jesus?Write
9. What would this passage sound like if I rewrote it as a prayer?Write
10. Which verse here would I want to memorize, and when would I use it?Write
11. What did I notice today that I missed the last time I read this?Write

Prayer and gratitude prompts

1. List ten specific gifts from God from the past seven days, the smaller the better.Write
2. Which prayer have I stopped praying because I gave up? Write it again.Write
3. Write a prayer for each person I will see tomorrow.Write
4. What answered prayer from years ago do I still think about?Write
5. Write a prayer of praise without asking for anything.Write
6. Who has been a blessing to me that I have never properly thanked?Write
7. What am I thankful for in a hard situation I am in right now?Write
8. Write a prayer for my town, my neighbors and my leaders.Write
9. How has God provided for me in a way I did not plan?Write
10. What would I pray if I knew God would say yes?Write
11. Write a short prayer of confession and then a line about His forgiveness.Write

For more prompts that focus only on prayer, see our prayer journal prompts.

Christian journal prompts for hard seasons

1. What is the hardest thing I am facing right now? Tell God plainly.Write
2. Where do I feel let down by God, and can I say it to Him honestly?Write
3. Which psalm sounds most like how I feel today?Write
4. What truth do I need to remember when I wake up at 3 a.m. worried?Write
5. Who is walking with me through this season, and who could I ask for help?Write
6. What has God carried me through before that looked impossible at the time?Write
7. What would hope look like today, even a small amount?Write
8. Write what I would want a friend in my situation to hear from God.Write
9. What can I let go of today that I was never meant to carry?Write
10. What do I still have that I am grateful for, even now?Write
11. Write a prayer of lament: what hurts, what I need, and that I still trust Him.Write

Christian journal prompts for women

1. What does God say about my worth that I struggle to accept?Write
2. Which woman in the Bible would I love to sit with, and what would I ask her?Write
3. Where am I pouring out for others with nothing left for myself?Write
4. What does it look like to be strong and gentle at the same time?Write
5. What would I tell the woman I was five years ago about God's care?Write
6. How can I bless the women in my life this week?Write
7. What worry about my family can I hand to God today?Write
8. Where am I comparing my life to another woman's, and what do I need to see instead?Write
9. What gift has God given me that I have been too shy to use?Write
10. Describe a time an older Christian woman encouraged me. How can I pass that on?Write
11. What does a peaceful home look like to me, and what is one step toward it?Write
12. Write a prayer for the women in my church who are lonely or hurting.Write

If you would like a guided year of this, our Android app Prayer Journal for Women gives you a weekly verse, a reflection with three questions and a prayer page for 52 weeks. It is coming soon on Google Play.

Prompts about growth, love and serving

1. Which fruit of the Spirit do I want God to grow in me most this month?Write
2. Where did my words build someone up today? Where did they tear down?Write
3. Who is hard for me to love, and what is one kind act I could do for them?Write
4. What does forgiveness look like in a situation I am still angry about?Write
5. Where is God asking me to be more generous with time, money or attention?Write
6. What habit would help my faith most if I kept it for a year?Write
7. How did I act like Jesus this week? How did I not?Write
8. What need in my church or neighborhood keeps catching my eye?Write
9. What is something I believe that I have never actually acted on?Write
10. Who in my life does not know Jesus, and how can I pray for them by name?Write
11. What would it look like to rest on the Sabbath this week, really?Write

Christian journal ideas for special days

1. Sunday: What is one thing from the sermon I want to remember on Thursday?Write
2. Birthday: Write a thank you to God for the past year, month by month.Write
3. New Year: Which verse do I want to carry through the next twelve months, and why?Write
4. Easter: What does the empty tomb mean for the thing I am most afraid of?Write
5. Christmas: What does it mean to me that God came as a baby?Write
6. Thanksgiving: List one gift from God for every year of my life.Write
7. After a loss: What do I miss most, and what do I know about God that holds me now?Write
8. After a win: How did God make this possible, and how can I share the blessing?Write
9. First day of a new job or school: Write a prayer for the people I will meet.Write
10. Anniversary of my baptism or salvation: How has God changed me since then?Write
11. A rainy day: What is God growing in me during a slow, quiet season?Write
12. End of the year: What did God teach me this year that I never want to forget?Write

Tips for Christian journaling

• Open your Bible first. Even one verse grounds your writing in God's Word, not just your feelings.
• Be honest. God already knows your heart. Writing it down helps you see it too.
• Write the date on every entry. Later you will see how God answered and how you grew.
• Keep it short on busy days. One sentence and a one line prayer is enough.
• Look back each month. Underline answered prayers and lessons.
• Pair it with a method. Try ACTS for prayer or SOAP for Bible study.

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