Grateful for Growth: Joy in Journaling
Thursday, October 31
Grateful for Growth: Joy in Journaling
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.”Jeremiah 30:2
I can remember the first diary that I received when I was about 9 years old. It had a picture of a beautiful rainbow and unicorn on the front and was complete with the brass lock to keep all of my thoughts “private”. I remember finding the perfect pink pen that I would use each day to document my life for the rest of my life. And I began…
Day 1 - Dear Diary, We had a great cheerleading practice today except for the fact that I fell off Dayna’s back during a pony mount.
Day 2 – Dear Diary, Today mom cooked my favorite dinner, fried round steak, rice and gravy, and lima beans.
Day 5 – Dear Diary, I don’t really know what to write. I’ve got to study, and I am tired.
Day 6…
Day 7…
Day 8…
I can’t tell you how many of these little diaries I began and never completed, never followed through. I did WANT to write in them, but I quickly became bored with writing to a book the trivial happenings of my life. I mean…what was the point! ?!
And then, many…MANY years later, I found a purpose in writing and it ignited a passion in me that I pray never fades away.
It all began with a 40-Day Prayer Journey. During these forty days the author challenged us as readers to ask, look for, and WRITE DOWN God showing up in our life. There were lines on the pages to record the miracles we were seeing, and I diligently entered the ways that God was showing up and showing out in my life. When the study was over, I continued to look for God’s presence and fulfilled promises throughout the day, but I got away from writing it all down. It wasn’t long before I realized how much I missed jotting down my prayer requests and recording praises when prayers were answered and so… I decided I was going to incorporate journaling into my quiet time in the mornings.
I went out, purchased a journal and the next day began my new routine. What began as simple exercise of bulleted prayers and praises became a time of worship for me. It became a time of writing a love letter to my Heavenly Father every single day. Throughout this daily correspondence with my Creator, I poured out my soul through words of praise, prayers, joy, heartache, stresses, successes, obstacles, and opportunities. This process took my prayer life to a whole new level…and it also grew my faith.
There are several reasons I like to write out my conversations with God.
It becomes a reference for seeing God’s fingerprint in my life.
It becomes a resource for to turn to when I need strength.
It becomes a reminder to me and perhaps even future generations of how faithful our God truly is.
God has indeed grown my faith through my prayer journaling process as He has revealed Himself to me over and over again in things both big and small. Who would have ever thought that a young girl who couldn’t get through a full week of consistent diary writing would turn into a woman who loses track of time when she’s praying with her pen and paper in hand?
I may not have an attic full of childhood “Dear Diary” entries as keepsakes, but as long as I have a breath left in me, I’ll be writing out my praises and prayers in my daily love letters to my Lord. And within those pages, when I am dead and gone, my children and my children’s children will know how much I prayed for them and see that God is a good, good Father, that He does indeed answer prayers.
Additional Reading: Exodus 17:14, Psalm 105:5, Psalm 103:2, John 14:26, Habakkuk 2:2
Dear Lord, I lift You up this morning and I praise Your name for all that You are and all that You do to grow us as we grow closer to You. Thank You for loving us. Lord, I ask today that You show up and show out in the life of every woman reading this message. And Father, let us not miss it…we never want to miss moments with You. Lord, in all that we do and all that we say, may it be pleasing to you both now and forever. It’s in Jesus’ name and for the Father’s glory we ask these things. Amen
