This is part 2 in my Think • Write • Pray • Explore series focused on TIME. Read part 1 here if you missed it, and if you don’t have the January prayer prompt calendar about time, you can download it for free here. 

Writing in a prayer journal is the most consistent way for me to draw closer to God. It’s more concrete to me than just thinking my prayers, and it engages my body and mind in a way that allows me to focus and be more intentional. Recently someone described prayer as an invitation to the deepest form of communion between God and man. I love that… prayer as an invitation.

It’s an invitation to share. To be real. To say the things you want to say, ask the questions that enter your mind, and spend time in His presence. This invitation has nothing to do with grammar or spelling or the quality of your handwriting. It can be done on the back of an old receipt, in the Notes app of your phone, in an elegant, embossed leather journal, or sitting at your computer. It’s not for anyone else except for you and God. And you just might find yourself surprised by the insights, the clarity, and the answers you discover as you let go of your internal critic and grow comfortable expressing yourself this way.

Every month I’ll share a few journaling prompts related to the theme of my prayer prompt calendar. Write on the ones you like; ignore the others. Do one a day, or one a week, or one a month. Make up your own if you want. Write what is comfortable, or stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone. Jot down a couple sentences, or write several pages. There are no rules, it’s just a way to focus the time that you spend with God.

JOURNALING PROMPTS ABOUT TIME:

• God never changes, but our perceptions of Him do. Think about how your view of God has changed throughout your life. Write down some notes describing how you envisioned God at each stage: when you were a child, a teenager, a newlywed, a new parent, a grandparent, when you first believed, when your faith was challenged, when you experienced a loss, when you faced a health scare, or any other times you can think of. If you wish, compare your earliest perceptions to your most recent ones.
• Write about a time when you were waiting for an answer or solution and it seemed it would never come. Did it? How did you feel?  What have you learned in the waiting times?
• When someone tells you, “It’s all in God’s perfect timing,” how does that make you feel? Comforted or angry?
• Picture yourself 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago (if you are that old!). If you could send a letter to your younger self, what one piece of advice would you share? Where would you tell yourself to watch for evidence of God’s presence?
• Thank God for one thing you learned about yourself in each decade of your life.
• Write about one of these statements: If I had it all to do over again, I would change so many things, such as ___. OR If I had it all to do over again, I wouldn’t change a thing because ___.
• If you could time travel ten years into the future, what do you hope you will discover about your life? Ask God to help you make that happen.

And now, it’s time for me to go. See you next week!