40 Everyday Prayer Journal Prompts (Free Printable)
Do you find yourself praying the same prayer, over and over again – without much thought or passion? Use this list of prayer journal prompts to inspire you during your daily prayer time!
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As Donald Whitney says in his book Praying the Bible, sometimes we get in a habit of “praying the same old things, about the same old things”. And that ends up leaving us with a dry, monotonous prayer life that we struggle to show up for or look forward to.
And that sounds like a terribly, sad way to describe our time with our Heavenly Father!
That’s where this list of everyday prayer journal prompts comes in! Instead of writing out full prayers, this resource offers a little guidance to help get you started praying about various circumstances.
Check out the bottom of the post for a PDF download that you can include in your own journal!
Christian Journaling Prompts Categories
I’ve broken the prayer prompts into categories that you can jump to here…
- Prayers for Others
- Difficult Time
- Personal Relationship
- Personal Roles in Daily Life
- Praise
- Thanksgiving
- World and Cultural Issues
- Downloadable PDF
- Resources on Prayer
- Setting up a Prayer Journal (downloadable PDF included)
Prayer Requests for Others
- Spouse – Pray for your spouse’s walk with the Lord by using Ephesians 1:17. Pray for wisdom from God that leads to obedience and a lifelong desire to serve and honor Him.
- Children – Pray that your children would believe the truths found in Psalm 73:23-25 and that they would desire nothing but God.
- Someone struggling with identity – Use Romans 8:29-30 to pray over a believing friend or family member who is struggling to believe that they are a new creation in Christ. Pray that they would know that God foreknew and predestined them to be conformed to the image of His Son and that He will be faithful to carry out that work in them.
- Nonbelieving family member or friend – Read 2 Corinthians 4:4-6. Pray that God would heal them of their spiritual blindness.
- Pray for someone going through a tough season of life. Use Philippians 4:7 to ask God to cover them in His peace that transcends all understanding during this time.
Difficult Time
Being a Christian does not guarantee a life full of suffering – but it does give you hope. Use these prompts to guide you in prayer over hard situations.
- Praise God for His sovereignty. Ask Him to give you strength to trust Him in every circumstance – in the hard times and the good. Read Colossians 1:16 to remember everything that God is sovereign over.
- Provision : Read the account of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22. Praise God for His ability to provide even in a situation that feels hopeless. Ask God to strengthen your faith in His provision.
- Suffering/Sickness : Pray through Psalm 40, worshipping God for how He has heard our cries and given us life in Christ Jesus.
- Suffering/Sickness : Read Revelation 21:3-5. Rejoice in the hope that is to come. Pray to be reminded of this truth every day so that you may find peace and comfort in His promises.
“For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.” Philippians 2:13
Personal Relationship with God / Christian Walk
Christian journal prompts to ask God to strengthen you in your daily walk.
- Ask for God’s help to reveal any hidden sin in you using Psalm 119:12-14. Pray for the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart to be acceptable to the Lord.
- Read Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 23:12. Ask for the Lord to humble you so that you may walk rightly with Him, understanding your place in His creation.
- Desire – Read Psalm 37:4 and ask God to create in you desires that are in accordance with His will for your life and remove any desires that are not pleasing to Him.
- Discernment: Using 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, ask God for wisdom in discerning the areas in your life that are not helpful or good for building up His kingdom. Ask for strength to turn away from these things.
- Sanctification : Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. Thank God for the gift of sanctification that is now possible through Jesus, remembering that without Him there is no hope. Pray that you would be submissive to His will so that you continue to grow in Christlikeness.
- Fruitfulness – Pray through the Fruit of the Spirit passage found in Galatians 5:22. Reflect on each of the characteristics mentioned, offering confession for areas you fall short.
Personal Roles
In our daily lives, we all have various roles that we take part in. Use these prompts to ask for guidance in navigating these roles with godliness.
- Wife – Read Genesis 2:18-24. Praise God for the good gift of marriage between man and woman. Acknowledge the ways that since the fall, marriage has been affected and confess the ways that you struggle to be a helper or to submit to your husband.
- Mother – Read Psalm 127:3-5, thanking God for the gift of motherhood. Thank Him for the gift of children and ask Him to help you raise your children in accordance with His commands. Confess to Him any areas of motherhood that you are struggling to embrace and ask for help in becoming a better parent.
- Caretaker of the Home – Read and pay over Proverbs 14:1. Ask the Lord to reveal to you ways that you are “tearing your house down” – with words or actions. Ask for a humble heart to accept what He reveals to you and for strength to overcome these things.
- Friend – Read 1 Corinthians 15:33, and ask God to reveal to you areas in which you may be “bad company” (this could be activities you take part in, things you say, gossiping, etc.). Pray that he will guide you in becoming a better friend that reflects the holiness of Christ.
Prayer of Praise
Write a “love letter” to God. Praise Him for who He is. The Psalms are an excellent place to find prayers of praise, using the very words that God has given us.
- Psalm 23 – Praise the Good Shepherd
- Psalm 29 – Praise His almighty strength that never waivers or fails.
- Psalm 33 – Praise Him as Creator.
- Psalm 90 – Praise the Eternal God who knows and sees all.
- Psalm 94 – Praise the Just Judge.
- Psalm 96 – Praise the King of the Earth.
- Psalm 104 – God the Creator
- Psalm 105 – Praise His faithfulness.
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6
Prayer of Thanks
Give thanks to God for all that He has graciously given.
- Give thanks for the sacrificial love of Jesus – Isaiah 53
- Thanks for the sin you have overcame by His strength – Psalm 107:1-9
- Give thanks for the godly friendship(s) in your life.
- Thank God for the physical healing you have experienced.
- Thank God for the gift of wisdom – Psalm 2:6
- Give thanks for the gift of God’s Word that never returns to Him empty – Isaiah 55:8-11
World and Cultural Issues
An effect of sin is a world full of suffering. Even if we may not experience these things firsthand, we should still pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ across the globe.
- Pray for the advancement of the good news of the Gospel to an unreached people group.
- Pray for God’s justice over all kinds of evil that we see in our world (sexual abuse, child abuse, murder) – Psalm 7:9-11.
- Ask God to protect those who are in areas of the world with intense persecution of Christians.
- Pray for those living in poverty. Ask God to show you areas in your own life that you can sacrifice in order to help those less fortunate than yourself.
- Pray for those affected by natural disasters.
- Pray for those who have been hurt by church leaders or members.
- Pray for your strength to go into hard situations and offer the hope of Jesus to the suffering.
I pray that this free resource blesses you in whatever you are in and that it is the first steps in a lifetime of meaningful prayer!
Download your PDF!
Want these prayer journal prompts in a printable format? Just click here to get the free PDF I put together!
(print on standard US size paper)
Resources on Prayer
There are some excellent resources out there that offer practical advice on prayer, as well as explaining why it is so important.
Praying the Bible – Donald Whitney
The Power of Prayer – Charles Spurgeon
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life – Donald Whitney
How to Prayer Journal
In my post about DIY prayer journal ideas I mentioned that prayer journaling has been a great way to bring joy, consistency, and focus to my quiet time.
Jesus himself gave us instruction on how to pray – that is, a guide for how to structure our prayers.
Some may choose to recite these exact words every day. Personally, I use them to guide me in my prayers. Biblehub.com actually has this article that I found interesting on explaining the structure of the Lord’s Prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
A.C.T.S Prayer Model
Another method many use in prayer is the A.C.T.S prayer model.
(Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication)
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