Ways To Journal During Your Quiet Time

 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. – 2 Timothy 3:16

I’ve always been a big fan of journaling. In fact, I’ve kept a diary since I was five years old, even though at that time, all I had to write about were my kindergarten boyfriend and what make-believe games my little brother and I had played that day. Regardless, I’ve always loved writing in a journal. It’s the way I like to process my thoughts and get everything that’s going on in my brain onto a piece of paper.

Naturally, once I started getting into a rhythm when it came to my quiet time, journaling became a big part of that rhythm. I realize this isn’t the case for everyone. However, I have met a lot of people who, even though they might not journal right now, want to make journaling a regular practice. They just don’t know how or where to start or what to write.

I get that journaling can be intimidating, especially when it comes to journaling in a way that is helpful, encouraging, and impactful in your relationship with Christ. But it doesn’t have to be intimidating. It doesn’t have to be daunting or overwhelming. There are a bunch of different (simple) ways you can incorporate journaling into your quiet time, and that’s exactly what I want to help teach you today.

So if you’ve been wanting to start journaling or start journaling again, and you’re not sure where to begin, I hope this little guide will help you and that as you begin to journal, you will see God work in amazing ways in your life as you write down your thoughts, prayers, and questions before Him.

1. Start a daily journal

This is the method of journaling I started incorporating a little over four years ago, and it has been one of my favorite ways to journal I’ve ever come across. It’s also probably the simplest way to journal because there aren’t really any stipulations to it. All you do is find a notebook (either physical paper or digital is fine) and write the date at the top of the page. Then, just write down whatever you come across, think about, or want to ask the Lord during your quiet time.

Is there a certain verse that stuck out to you while you were reading your Bible? Write it down. Was there a quote you read in a devotional that hit home? Write it on the page. Are there questions you’re wondering about concerning a certain topic? Are there prayers that are weighing on your heart that day? Write them down. And the best part is, you can continue to come back to this journal throughout the day. Maybe you have your quiet time in the morning, but you hear something really encouraging in a podcast on your drive home from work. You can always add it to the journal, and then you can begin to see themes or consistencies develop as you record all that God is placing in front of you day by day.

2. Create a learning journal.

This was something I started doing earlier this year that I really want to get back into the habit of doing. A learning journal is basically where each day when you read your Bible, you write down what you learned about God from whatever you read. It could be a list of two things, or it could be a list of twenty things. The point is to make yourself pay close attention to what the Bible has to say about the character of God and write those characteristics down.

It’s amazing how much closer I pay attention when there is something specific I’m looking for in what I’m reading. To take it a step further, try not to repeat yourself too much and see how many new characteristics of God you can learn about and identify from your Scripture reading each day.

3. Begin a prayer journal.

If you’ve been reading these devotions for a while, you know how passionate I am about prayer journaling. I firmly believe writing down your prayers is the equivalent of keeping a record of God’s faithfulness throughout your life.

So if the thought of journaling about what you’re reading or what you’re learning is a little intimidating at the start, then just begin journaling by writing down your prayers. I like to write them in the form of a letter, starting with “Dear God,” and then I write my prayer out as if I was writing a letter to the Lord. It makes my time with the Lord so personal and makes Him feel so approachable.

4. Write in a guided journal.

If the thought of a notebook with a bunch of blank pages is too much for you, I totally get it. Staring at a blank white page, whether physical or digital, can be quite overwhelming, and the pressure to fill the page can feel like a big task. If that’s how you’re feeling, I’d encourage you to invest in a guided journal.

There are so many great guided journals on the market to choose from. So do a quick Amazon search or visit your local Barnes and Noble to browse the shelves. You can find guided journals based on books of the Bible, books written by Christian others, or topics such as prayer, waiting, college life, marriage, motherhood, and more. These types of journals are great because they give you somewhere to start by offering a prompt, as well as questions for you to answer and think through, which makes the process of journaling a little less overwhelming.

My hope is that wherever you are in your walk with the Lord that you would prayerfully consider implementing one of these types of journaling into your time with Jesus each day. I’ve experienced so much growth and encouragement as a result of journaling during my quiet time, and I hope that moving forward, you’ll be able to say the same.