A journal is a written record of one’s thoughts, observations, ideas, and experiences. Journaling during personal devotions can help to powerfully reveal God’s active and transformative presence in your daily life. As you write down and record your reflections on experiences, Bible reading, and prayers, you can begin to discern very specific things God wants to teach you. It’s easy to add journaling to your personal devotions, and there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Here are three suggestions to help you get started and get the most from adding journaling to your personal devotions.
Freestyle Journaling
Bible reading and prayer are the linchpins of your personal devotions. You can use your journal to reflect on your reading, and perhaps, to record your prayers. After reading a biblical selection, consider your reaction, your thoughts, your questions. Jot them down. Pray about them. As your thoughts flow, write them down. What images spring to mind? Record them and let your thoughts push into them while you pray. Write about what God might be saying about Himself in the passage, or about other people, about you. What might the scripture say that you need to do?
In addition to reflecting on God’s word and prayer, you can journal about your daily life. How has God moved that day? How did you deal with the challenges of the day? What scriptures or biblical thoughts came to mind? Poke into them; explore them in the Bible. Do you think God highlighted them for you? Why? Journaling is a way to wrestle with the things of God in your daily life, and to understand what He’s saying to you about your life.
Devotional-led Journaling
Sometimes you just need a little structure. A devotional can help you with Bible passage selections and guide your thoughts with reflections by the devotion’s author. You can find devotional journals that include a written devotion and blank space for your own reflections. Devotional authors explore themes inspired by biblical texts and grapple with real-life implications. Asking some of the same kinds of questions above, in your journal record your reactions, questions, and assumptions from the reading. Be tough on yourself and on the author, letting the scripture be the standard against which you measure your reflections.
Another devotional-led form of journaling is the S.O.A.P. scripture study method. The letters of “soap” stand for: Scripture, Observe, Apply, and Pray. These words used together can help apply the scripture as our devotion and inspire both our prayer and how we apply it to our lives. Here is how we can use each letter of this acronym to help in our devotions: Scripture - physically write out the scripture… you will be amazed by what can happen by just taking time to slow down and actually write out what you are reading; Observe - what do you see in the verses that you are reading, who is the the audience, is there a repetition of words, what words stand out to you; Apply - application is where God’s Word becomes personal, what is He saying to me today, how can I apply what I just read to my own life, what changes do I need to make, is there an action that I need to take; Pray - pray God’s Word back to Him, if He has revealed something to you during your time in His Word, pray about it, confess if He has revealed some sin that is in your life. Through using this S.O.A.P. method we can open our mind to searching the scriptures, learn to apply the principles, and propel our times of prayer forward into intimate moments with God.
Daily Examination Journaling
Perhaps one of the most powerful ways to do a devotional journal is through a process called daily examination. Daily examination can guide you through a very simple series of steps at the end of your day to quiet yourself, give God thanks, reflect on His goodness, express your joy and sorrow, and let hope for tomorrow fill you. With your journal, consider in turn these five steps:
Stillness. Acknowledge God’s presence. For several minutes just be quiet and listen for God. Take some deep breaths. Be present to Him. After a while, in your journal, write your impressions of the moment.
Gratitude. Review your day with thanksgiving. What did God give you that day? What did He teach you? How did you see Him move that day? Write it down. Record your thanks for what He did.
Reflection. Be aware of your emotions. Reflect on your feelings and actions that day, both positive and negative. Write them out. What were your motivations? How did you resolve these situations? Did you seek Christ?
Sorrow. Ask forgiveness for sin. Considering again the events of the day, record moments when you failed to follow God’s direction. Talk with God about them. Express your sorrow. Thank God for His awesome grace to carry you through should that situation arise again.
Hope. Look ahead to tomorrow. In your journal, resolve to grow and follow God’s guidance. Talk to God about tomorrow, and write down any thoughts or images that come to your mind for the next day.
The practice of daily examination will bring you closer to God. Journaling will mark your journey, letting you see your growth and the tangible reminder of God’s active presence in your life.
This information is based off an article posted on todaydevotional.com by Christopher Hunt, published on September 26, 2016