faithfulhomebiblestudies.com

i love writing out my prayers! it has helped my prayers more than anything else i've tried. my brain functions better when i'm writing down my thoughts. i have more clarity and direction. when my hand is writing, i'm less distracted, so my mind has less of a tendency to wonder off thinking about dinner or chores or whatever. and i don't nod off when i write like i do when i pray in my head! (just keeping it real, friends.) i am able to focus my attention on god and share with him what i'm truly thinking and feeling. how i pray when i first started writing my prayers, it sounded more like a letter to god. dear god, how's it going? i'm fine today. thank you for the nice weather. it was great to go outside with my kids... and there is absolutely nothing wrong with praying to god like a letter. but as our faith grows, so should our prayers. that was a starting place for me. say thank you after reading michelle moore's bible study, moving forward with grief, i began starting my prayers with five things that i'm thankful for every day just as she suggested. doing this has helped me remember the blessings in my life, big and small, and the one who gives them to me. it has changed my attitude and outlook because there is always something to be thankful for. have you ever heard a little kid pray? my kids used to thank god for every single detail of life. their sweet prayers have helped my prayers. sometimes i thank god for doorknobs and spoons, for space heaters and socks, even the screws that hold down the toilet. i'm really thankful for those screws...and the person who invented them! those are important little things, and we don't always think about them. other times i write how thankful i am for my husband, kids, and parents, for having money in our bank account and food on our table. it's easy to struggle with thankfulness. so, you might have to become like a little child and take a look around the room. what do you see? furniture, people in picture frames, knickknacks, or office supplies? thank god for those things. what is something you would miss if it were not in your life anymore? thank god for that. thank god for anything and everything you can think of, and overtime, writing lists of gratitude becomes easier. after i write my thank-you's to god, i just write. i pray for people in my family and church. i pray for friends and strained relationships. i pray for their needs and ask for blessings to be poured on them. think like a psalmist the psalms are another great place to get inspiration for prayers. the psalmists were open and honest with god about their feelings of joy and anger and everything in between. they weren't afraid to be direct with god and say what they needed from him. using the psalms gives me the courage to write how i feel and reminds me to humble myself as i wait for god's answer in my life. sometimes i will write a psalm into my prayer. just copy it straight from the text. other times, i pray only part of a verse, give me wisdom (psalm 119: 66), which is something i pray for almost every day. he knows i need it! remembering my prayers one of my favorite things about journaling my prayers is the ability to look back and recognize how and when god responded to my prayers. when i'm reading them, there are moments of oh yeah! i forgot i prayed for that! and well, that turned out differently than what i thought. to see god's hand in my life encourages my faith and my desire to pray all the more. your turn maybe journaling your prayers is something you want to try. you don't need much. i use a cheap composition notebook and something to write with. you can fancy it up with a cover made from scrapbooking paper if you want something fun. (check out the steps for covering your prayer journal at the end of this article.) no matter the paper you use, it's about just sitting and writing to god, opening your heart and mind and soul and talking to the god who loves you and is right there with you. making a prayer journal i just finished the last page of my prayer journal the other day, which meant that i needed a new one. here's how i made it. 1. choose your paper and gather your supplies. 2. cut your paper to fit one side of the journal. i do not cover the black strip on the spine. fit your paper to go right up against the black strip.  3. after cutting out the paper, glue your paper to that side. i allow some of the paper to hang over the sides so that i can fold it over for a more secure fit. 4. add glue and first fold over the top and bottom of the paper. secure to the back side of the cover. then add a bit more glue to the corners. fold and secure the paper to the back as well. 5. repeat the same process on the other side of the journal. you might want to use 2 or more colors or patterns of paper. arrange the paper however you desire. 6. add any extras that you want. i wrote the word prayer at the top of my journal after testing the marker on a scrap piece. i also added some ribbon. then you're done and ready to write out all your prayers.

Related Stores in Religious & Spiritual