Prayer is probably the spiritual discipline I struggle with the most. In my quest to improve in this discipline, I read several books on prayer and tried all kinds of prayer methods and systems under the sun. One thing I never tried is keeping a prayer journal. Although I love writing, this practice never enticed me. But when I discovered Crossway’s Pour Out Your Heart Prayer Journal, written by Lois Krogh, I decided to try prayer journaling. And I am so glad I did!
Pour Our Your Heart is not your typical prayer journal. It is a prayer planner designed to be used over many years—maybe even a lifetime. The title comes from Psalm 62:8, which says, “pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” This journal helps us pour out our hearts before God because “the only hope for weak and dependent people is the refuge of God, who can be trusted to hear and to do what is right.”
The journal has five main sections. The first section is titled Daily Gospel Truth. Its purpose is to help you preach the gospel to yourself before you pray. Here you can write verses, hymns, or quotes proclaiming the gospel. There is also space to write the gospel in your own words.
The second section is titled Promises. Here you can write promises from Scripture that ministered to you personally. The third section is titled Prayer and is the journal’s largest section. It focuses on three types of prayers: kingdom prayers (unbelievers, household of the faith, and the advancement of God’s kingdom), prayers for loved ones, and prayers for self.
The fourth section, titled Provisions, records the significant ways God provided for you over the years. And the fifth and final section contains resources to get started with the journal. Every section comes with instructions.
When I initially read the journal’s description, I was skeptical of its claim to last a lifetime. But it is possible thanks to sticky notes and Scripture.
Each prayer section has a blank page for stick notes; you can write time-sensitive requests or names of people you pray for on them. Then on the other pages of the journal, you write Bible verses you want to pray over the people on the sticky notes. The idea is that people in our area of influence may change, but God’s truth will remain the same. Hence, the same verses can be used repeatedly for the needs of different people in the journal. Using sticky notes also prevents having stale prayers in your journal.
I did not understand the system well from the instructions in the journal. It was only when I found these how-to videos from the author that I understood it. And once I did, I loved the system and was excited.
There are many things I love about this prayer journal. My favorite is its focus on praying according to God’s Word. As I have learned from the puritans, the best way to pray is by saying God’s Word back to Him. And I love that this journal encourages that.
I also love how the different prayer sections make us pray according to the various petitions in the Lord’s prayer and the ACTS model. The gospel section reminds us who we are praying to and why it is possible, and the promise section reminds us of His character, which helps us adore Him. The prayer section makes us pray for God’s kingdom and our daily needs, and the provision section allows us to express our gratitude to God.
I have been using the Pour Out Your Heart journal for a couple of weeks now, and I love it! I highly recommend it to any lady (or guy if it is not too feminine for you). It will assist your praying life, help you pray according to Scripture, and be a beautiful testimony of God’s faithfulness in your life.
*Crossway graciously gave me a copy, and this is my honest review.*
