Faith

Prayer Journal Template

A prayer journal does two things a memory cannot: it keeps the names and needs you promised to pray for, and it lets you look back and see what changed. This template gives each day a reading, thanks, honest requests and a running log of answers. Use it as it is, or start from the example closest to the way you pray.

Updated 2026-10-27

Copy and adapt

The template

Prayer journalTemplate

Prayer journal, {{date}}

Reading: [book chapter:verse, or the day's reading from your plan or lectionary] Practice today: [ACTS / SOAP / Examen / Lectio / free writing]

The passage

[The line or verse that stood out, copied out by hand or pasted]

[What it says. What it might be asking of me today.]

Praise and thanks

[Who God is, as this passage shows]
[Three specific things from the last 24 hours]

Confession

[What I need to put right, with God or with someone. Be specific.]

For me

[A need, a decision, a fear. Say what you actually want.]

For others

Listening

[Anything that came to mind while praying: a verse, a person to contact, a nudge to act]

Answered and updates

[Date]: [Name or request], [what happened, in plain words]

Carry forward

[Something to do because of today's prayer: call, write, give, apologize]

5 examples

Examples for different situations

The same structure, filled in for the situations people actually bring to it. Copy the one closest to yours.

1.ACTS prayer while waiting on a diagnosis

When it fits: Use this when one fear is crowding out everything else and you need a structure that makes room for praise and thanks before the request.

ACTS prayer while waiting on a diagnosisExample 1

Prayer journal, 2026-10-27

Reading: Philippians 4:4 to 7 Practice today: ACTS

The passage

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6, KJV)

"With thanksgiving" is in the middle of the instruction, not after the answer.

Adoration

You are the same God at 3 a.m. in the ER waiting room as in church on Sunday.

Confession

I snapped at Danielle on the phone yesterday because she asked a simple question about Dad's appointment. She was trying to help.

Thanksgiving

Dad's biopsy was done on Friday without complications.
Pastor Reggie drove over with dinner without being asked.
I got the day shift swap for Thursday, so I can be at the results appointment.

Supplication

For Dad: that the biopsy result on Thursday, Oct 29 is benign. And if it is not, that the treatment is clear and he is not afraid.
For me: sleep. I am on four hours a night and I am making mistakes at work.
For Danielle: she carries more than she says.

Answered and updates

2026-10-23: prayed for a quick biopsy date. It came within a week instead of the three they quoted.

Carry forward

Call Danielle and apologize @due(2026-10-27)
Pray with Dad before the appointment @remind(2026-10-29 08:30)

2.Evening Examen after a hard day at school

When it fits: Use this at night, in the Ignatian way, when the day had both something to be grateful for and something you are not proud of, and you want to notice where God was in it.

Evening Examen after a hard day at schoolExample 2

Examen, 2026-11-04

Reading: none tonight, five steps of the Examen Practice today: Ignatian Examen, 10 minutes before bed

Presence

Lit the candle. Asked for the grace to see today honestly, without excusing myself or beating myself up.

Gratitude

Mateo in 3rd period finally finished an essay. He read the last paragraph out loud without being asked.
Coffee with Sr. Ann at lunch. She listened more than she talked.

Review of the day

Consolation: the moment with Mateo. I felt useful, like this is why I teach.
Desolation: the department meeting. Mr. Pryce dismissed my reading list proposal in front of everyone and I went quiet, then complained about him to two colleagues afterwards.

Face what went wrong

The complaining was gossip, not truth-telling. I would not want to be spoken of that way.
Underneath the anger is fear that I am not taken seriously after only two years here.

Tomorrow

Ask Mr. Pryce for ten minutes to walk through the proposal, one to one.
Say nothing more about it to the others.

Answered and updates

2026-10-21: prayed for a way to reach Mateo. Today he reached back.

Carry forward

Email Mr. Pryce to ask for ten minutes @due(2026-11-05)
Bring this to confession on Saturday @due(2026-11-07)

3.Lectio Divina in grief

When it fits: Use this when words for your own prayer are hard to find, and a slow reading of one short passage is the only way in.

Lectio Divina in griefExample 3

Lectio Divina, 2026-11-12

Reading: Psalm 23 Practice today: Lectio Divina, read the psalm slowly three times

Lectio (read)

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. (Psalm 23:4, KJV)

Meditatio (reflect)

The word that stopped me on the second reading: "through". Not into the valley, not stuck in it. Through.
It has been four months since Harold died. I am still in the valley. But the psalm says the valley has another side.

Oratio (respond)

Lord, I am angry that we had only two years of his retirement. I do not want to pretend I am not.
Thank you for 41 years with him.
Help me with the first Thanksgiving without him. The children want to come here, and I am not sure I can cook the meal he used to carve.

Contemplatio (rest)

Sat for ten minutes in his chair. No words. It was the quietest my mind has been since July.

For others

Our grandson Eli, who has not cried at all and worries his mother.

Answered and updates

2026-09-30: asked for a friend who understood. Marjorie from the grief group, widowed in 2024, now calls every Tuesday.

Carry forward

Ask Ruth if she will carve this year @due(2026-11-15)
Write Eli a letter about his grandfather @due(2026-11-20)

4.SOAP study before a hard decision

When it fits: Use this when you are weighing a real choice (a job, a move, a relationship) and want your prayer to stay tied to scripture rather than circling your own arguments.

SOAP study before a hard decisionExample 4

SOAP, 2026-11-18

Reading: Proverbs 3 Practice today: SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer)

Scripture

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5 to 6, KJV)

Observation

"Lean not" does not mean "do not think". It means do not rest my whole weight on my own reasoning.
"All thy ways" includes spreadsheets and salary negotiations.

Application

Two offers after the layoff in September. Denver: $14,000 more, a team I liked, but 900 miles from Mom, who had her second fall in October. Kansas City: lower pay, 20 minutes from her, start date Jan 4.
I have been treating the money as the deciding factor because it is the only part I can measure.
Talked with Jordan last night. She leans Kansas City. I lean Denver, and I notice I lean Denver most when I am anxious about money.

Prayer

Lord, I do not trust my own understanding here. Show me which choice I would make if I were not afraid.
Give Jordan and me one mind about this, not one of us giving in.
Protect Mom from another fall while we decide.

Answered and updates

2026-10-02: prayed for interviews. Two offers by Nov 10.

Carry forward

Ask Kansas City whether they can move closer on salary @due(2026-11-20)
Pray through this with Pastor Kim and Jordan on Sunday @due(2026-11-22)
Decide by @due(2026-11-25)

5.Small group intercession list

When it fits: Use this when you lead or belong to a group that shares requests, you have promised to pray for people by name, and some of what they told you is confidential.

Small group intercession listExample 5

Tuesday small group prayer list, 2026-11-24

Reading: James 5:16 Practice today: intercession, praying down the list name by name

The passage

Pray one for another. (James 5:16, KJV)

The group meets at the Nguyens', 7 p.m. Eight people this week.

For others

Linh: her mother's visa interview in Hanoi on Dec 9 (asked 2026-11-10, shared with permission)
Marcus: sober 60 days today, first Thanksgiving with family since recovery (asked 2026-11-17, private: not for the church email)
Becca and Tom: hoping for a child, third round of IVF in December (asked 2026-11-24, private)
Pastor Kim: wisdom for the building committee vote on Dec 6 (asked 2026-11-17, shared)
Our neighbor Mr. Diaz: back surgery Dec 2 (asked 2026-11-24, shared with permission)

For me

Patience to lead the group well when I am tired. Listen more, fix less.

Answered and updates

2026-11-24: Linh's mother's interview date came through (prayed since Oct 6).
2026-11-17: Pastor Kim reports the youth trip is fully funded.
2026-11-10: Jamal found work at the warehouse after five months, and has asked to be taken off the list. Removed.

Carry forward

Text Marcus on Thanksgiving morning @remind(2026-11-26 09:00)
Pray for Mr. Diaz before surgery @remind(2026-12-02 07:00)
Ask Becca whether she wants the group told anything @due(2026-12-01)

What belongs in a prayer journal

A prayer journal template should help you pray, not grade you. Each section is there because of something people regret not writing down.

The reading. One passage, verse or set of readings. Writing out the line that stopped you keeps the prayer anchored to something other than your worries.
Praise and thanks. Specific, recent, small. "Pastor Reggie brought dinner" is a prayer of thanks; "thank you for everything" is a phrase.
Confession. Honest and short. Name the thing, and the person if there is one, so you know what to put right.
For me. Say what you actually want. Many people write vague requests because a specific one feels presumptuous; specific requests are the ones you can recognize when they are answered.
For others. Name, request, date, and whether it was shared in confidence.
Listening. What came to mind while you prayed. Not every entry has one.
Answered and updates. The part of the journal people reread most.

Choosing a method

Most prayer journal templates assume one method. Christians pray in many ways, and the page should fit yours. The examples above use five:

ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) suits free prayer and keeps requests from crowding out praise. Common in evangelical and many Protestant churches.
SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) suits people who journal alongside Bible reading and want prayer tied to the passage.
The Examen, from Ignatius of Loyola, is an evening review of the day: gratitude, where you noticed God, what went wrong, and tomorrow.
Lectio Divina, the old monastic practice of slow reading, suits days when your own words run out. Read, reflect, respond, rest.
Intercession lists suit prayer groups, prayer chains and anyone who has promised to pray for people by name.

If you pray the Daily Office or follow a lectionary, use the Reading line for the day's readings and keep the rest of the page to a few lines.

Tracking answered prayers

Every prayer journal guide tells you to record answers. Few say how, and this is where most journals fall apart: the answer comes in March for a request written in October, and it is buried twenty pages back.

Date the request when you write it. Next to the name, in brackets.
When an answer comes, write it with the new date under Answered and updates, and refer back: "prayed since Oct 6".
Keep one running answered-prayer list separate from the daily pages.
Be honest about the answers that were not what you asked for. "Not the result we prayed for. Dad starts treatment in December, and he is calmer than I am" is an answer worth keeping too.
Review the list monthly. Remove requests that are resolved or that the person asked you to drop.

Other people's requests

A prayer journal holds things people told you in trust: a diagnosis, an addiction, a marriage in trouble, a pregnancy not yet announced. Mark each request as shared or private when you write it, and never copy a private one into a group message or church email without asking. If you share your journal with a spouse or a prayer partner, keep private requests on a separate page.

Common mistakes

Only writing requests. The journal becomes a list of worries. Thanks and praise first keep it a prayer.
Vague requests. "Bless my family" is hard to recognize when it is answered. Name the person and the need.
Giving up after missed days. Start again today, without catching up. A journal with gaps is still a record.
Writing for an audience. A prayer journal is not a devotional for others. Write as plainly as you would speak.

When to use a different template

For verse-by-verse study with cross-references and questions for a group, use the Bible study notes template; a prayer journal is the place for the response. If you want a short daily habit of thanks without the prayer structure, the gratitude journal template is lighter.

Customization tips

Match the page to how you already pray
If you pray with a liturgy, a lectionary or the Daily Office, put the day's readings in the Reading line and keep the rest short. If you pray freely, the ACTS headings give you a shape without telling you what to say. Change the headings to fit your practice; do not change your practice to fit a template.
Date every request
Write the date you started praying for something next to it. When an answer comes, add the date it came. Months later, seeing "prayed since Oct 6, answered Nov 24" is the part of the journal people reread most.
Mark what is private
People tell you things in prayer groups they would not want in a church email. Mark each request as shared or private when you write it down. It costs three words and prevents the one mistake that ends trust.
Keep a separate answered-prayer page
Copy each answer into one running list with both dates. On a hard week, reading that list is a different experience from flipping through daily pages.
Let it be short
Some days the whole entry is one verse and one name. That still counts. A prayer journal that demands a full page every day is the kind that stops in February.
Turn nudges into actions
If something came to mind while praying (call your sister, write to Eli, apologize), write it as a checkbox with a date. A prompt to act that only lives in your head is usually gone by lunch.

In the app

How to do this in Scribelet

Open Desk Settings, then Templates, tap Add Template, paste the template above and choose the Journal category with #prayer as a default tag. Keep {{date}} in the title.
Use the daily note for your prayer time: one tap opens today's page, and the calendar shows a dot on every day you prayed and wrote.
Give each person you pray for regularly a note, then link them with [[Dad]] or [[Marcus]]. The person's note lists every day you prayed for them in its backlinks panel, which becomes their prayer history.
Write "pray for Mr. Diaz before surgery" with @remind(2026-12-02 07:00) and Scribelet sends a push reminder at that time in your local time zone.
Prayer journals hold other people's confidences. Notes are encrypted at rest with per-desk keys, so a private desk for prayer keeps it apart from work and shared desks.

Templates, template variables and AI generation are documented in Note templates.

Frequently asked questions

What is a prayer journal?

A notebook or document where you write your prayers, the passages you are reading, the people you are praying for, and what happens afterwards. Writing slows prayer down enough to be specific, and the record lets you see over months how prayers were answered and how you changed.

What are the 5 key prayer points?

Lists vary between churches and teachers. A common five, following the classic forms of prayer, is praise (who God is), thanksgiving (what God has done), confession, petition (your own needs) and intercession (others' needs). The template above has a section for each, plus space for listening and answers.

How do I make a prayer list?

Write each person's name, the specific request, and the date you started praying, as in the small group example above. Mark whether it is shared or private. Review the list weekly: add updates, move answers to an answered-prayer page, and remove requests the person asks you to drop.

How do you start a prayer?

Many people begin by addressing God and naming something true about him, often with a line from scripture or a psalm. Others begin with silence, or with a set prayer like the Lord's Prayer before moving into their own words. There is no required opening; the point is to turn your attention toward God before the list of needs.

Should I keep a prayer journal on paper or on my phone?

Paper suits people who pray best away from screens and like to write slowly. A digital journal suits people who pray in short windows, want reminders for specific requests, or want to search years of entries for a name. Some keep both: paper for the daily page, digital for the prayer list.

Remember every name you promised to pray for

Keep your prayer journal in Scribelet, link requests to the people they belong to, and set a reminder for the morning of a surgery or an interview. Private, encrypted, free to start.

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