Effectual Prayers

Monday, January 14, 2008

Why We Should Keep a Prayer Journal!

 Exodus 17:14-15 (KJV) 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. 15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: 


When I think of Prayer Journal the first thing that comes to mind is the above verse form Exodus 17 chapter. It gives clear instruction for keeping record of God’s dealing with us.

I have heard people over and over say they keep records of their spiritual growth through a prayer journal, and others say they keep record of God fulfillment of prayers in a prayer journal, all of these are very admirable but if you ever come to my house you will find many years of prayer journals in the book shelves. My bookshelves are filled with little marble notebooks that record everything from how I felt when I prayed, to my actual record of prayer, and even instances of God speaking to me, through revelation, dreams, or other encounters.

But if we can go back just a little to the end of verse 14 of Exodus chapter 14 you will read God’s reason for us keeping record.“Rehearse it in the ears of Joshua; for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”

See the real reason for a prayer journal is as an Ebenezer of God’s promise to you. What has god promised me? This may seem a bit confusing for many people “they say God hasn’t promised me anything” there is a reason, you have spoke with him enough!, you haven’t read and studied his word. You haven’t had any real dealing with God and so you have no idea what God’s promise to you is.

Now don’t get me wrong you can find many of God’s promises in the bible but you prayer journal is for your personal revelations of God’s promises.

It’s so you can go back over these promises and see where you stand with God, it’s your record of what God wants from you, and for you. Anyone that says that a Prayer journal is about their spiritual growth is forgetting the simplest thing it’s not about them; it has to be about God always.

Then it is the knowledge of this information (past promises and dealings that God has with us through past prayer) that we later use for the composing of arguments in (future) prayer. Isaiah 41:21 says Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.”  When we can compose argument in prayer that is founded in our past dealing with God this prayer has meaning to you and God, it become personal in that it moves you (and God) this is the real spirit of a Fervent Prayer .

So am I saying that we can only have fervent prayer by keeping a prayer journal? Of course not, what I’m saying that those that keep a prayer journal, are more likely to have prayer from a contrite and sorrowful heart, by keeping a prayer journal you are bale to go back and see how God has dealt with you (revelation) concerning past issues and get a better understanding of how God will deal with you in future.

So start keeping a prayer journal for 30 days, record not just your prayers but also your answers, your trials, your thoughts and feeling and I promise you after about 30 day you will have developed a deeper relationship with God than you ever thought was possible.

So write the things of God in a book and rehears them in your ears to know how God is dealing with you.






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