30 prayer journal ideas for beginners and beyond

Prayer journal ideas for beginners: start here

If you are new, do not try all 30 ideas at once. Pick three and use them for a month. Most people find that these three are enough to build a steady habit:

1. A short daily entry. Date, one verse, a few lines of prayer. Use the prayer journal template if you want boxes to fill in.
2. A prayer list. Names and needs in one place so you never forget who you promised to pray for.
3. An answered prayers page. Every time God answers, write it down with the date.

Once those feel easy, add one new idea at a time. A prayer journal grows with you. It does not have to look finished on day one.

Prayer journal page ideas and layouts

These are ways to set up a single page or a two page spread.

1. ACTS page. Four boxes: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. See the full ACTS prayer journal guide.
2. SOAP page. Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer. Good if your prayer time starts in the Bible.
3. Split page. Left side for requests, right side left blank for answers you fill in later.
4. Weekly spread. Seven small boxes, one per day, with a line or two of prayer in each.
5. Monthly overview. A calendar page where you color in each day you prayed. It shows your habit at a glance.
6. Letter to God. No boxes at all. Start with Dear Father and write like a letter.
7. Prayer of the month. One big need written at the top of the month, with notes added as the weeks go by.
8. Three line page. Thank You for, I am sorry for, Please help with. Perfect for busy days.

Prayer list ideas

A prayer list keeps you faithful to the people you care about. Here are ways to organize one.

1. Prayer list by day. Family on Monday, church on Tuesday, friends on Wednesday, work on Thursday, the world on Friday, your own heart on the weekend.
2. Inner circle and outer circle. A short list you pray for every day, and a longer list you pray for once a week.
3. Prayer cards. One index card per person with their needs and verses. Keep them in a box and pray through a few each day.
4. People who do not know Jesus. A page of names you are praying will come to faith.
5. Leaders. Pastors, teachers, bosses, and government leaders, each with one specific request.
6. Hard people. A short, honest list of people who hurt you, where you choose to pray for them anyway.
7. Long term prayers. Needs you have prayed about for years. Date them so you remember how long you have waited.

Bible and verse page ideas

1. Verse of the week. Write one verse at the top of a page and pray it in your own words each day.
2. Promises page. A list of God's promises you want to remember, with the reference for each.
3. Pray a psalm. Read a psalm line by line and write your own prayer after each line.
4. Names of God. One page per name, like Shepherd, Provider or Prince of Peace, with what it means to you.
5. Prayers of the Bible. Study a prayer from Scripture, like Hannah's or Paul's, then write one like it.
6. Sermon notes to prayer. After church, write one point from the sermon and turn it into a prayer.
7. Memory verse tracker. Write a verse you are learning by heart, then check a box each day you say it from memory.

For more on this, see how to journal the Bible and these Bible journal prompts.

Creative prayer journal ideas

1. Gratitude jar page. Draw a jar and fill it with small words of thanks through the month.
2. Prayer map. Draw a simple map of your street, city or the world and write prayers on it.
3. Color code. One color for praise, one for requests, one for answers.
4. Photo prayers. Tape in a photo of someone you love and write a prayer around it.
5. One word for the year. Pick a word like trust or rest and write about it each month.
6. Prayer walk notes. Take a walk while you pray, then write what you saw and prayed for.
7. Letters to your children or spouse. Write prayers you may share with them one day. See the prayer journal for your children.
8. Year end review. On the last page of the year, list every answered prayer you can find.

An example page using these ideas

Here is a simple daily entry that mixes the three line page with a verse of the week.

You can find more filled in pages in our prayer journal examples.

Tips for keeping your prayer journal going

• Tie it to something you already do. Pray with your morning coffee or right after you put the kids to bed.
• Keep it where you see it. On the kitchen table or next to your Bible, not in a drawer.
• Lower the bar. On hard days, one line counts.
• Use prompts when you are stuck. Our list of prayer journal prompts has over 100.
• Go digital if paper does not stick. You can write on this page, or try the Prayer Journal for Women Android app, coming soon on Google Play, which has a prayer list, answered prayers, reminders and 52 weeks of verses.
• Celebrate answers. Reading your answered prayers page is the best fuel to keep going.

Questions people ask