How Spiritual Journaling Can Deepen Your Connection to God

In this fast-paced world, we are so busy working long hours, keeping up with chores, and even staying abreast of social media, doing so much to please others.  We are so busy reaching outside of ourselves that we take little time to pay attention to what is going on within our own minds and hearts. As a result, we feel disconnected from our true thoughts and feelings. We are so busy navigating life’s everyday demands that we have little time to sit alone and reflect. That’s where spiritual journaling comes in…

It is a powerful practice that allows us to deepen our connection to God and find guidance and peace in the midst of chaos.

Journaling can be more than just writing down our thoughts. It can be a way to open our hearts to God, reflect on His Word, and engage in a meaningful conversation with our Creator.

If we're looking for a Christian spiritual writing tool to help us reflect on our faith and grow spiritually, spiritual journaling can be the solution.

The Benefits of Spiritual Journaling

With spiritual journaling, we create a safe space to freely record our feelings and frustrations, hopes and concerns. It’s a place where we can speak honestly with God without fear or judgment. This type of writing practice helps us:

·         Track Our Spiritual Growth: Over time, journaling allows us to revisit challenges we’ve faced and how God has been with us. It refreshes our minds about how God interceded, and how much we’ve grown in our faith over the course of the journaling period.

·         Clarify Our Thoughts: Writing forces us to find the right words to express our emotions and helps us to clarify and organize our thoughts.

·         Deepen Our Connection to Scripture: By incorporating writing prompts for Bible study, we can slow down and engage with the Bible in thoughtful ways, reflecting on verses that speak to our heart and spirit and integrating biblical truth into thoughts and experiences.

How to Begin Spiritual Journaling

Starting a spiritual journaling practice with a book is easier than we might think. Here’s how we can get started:

1.       Make a schedule: Whether it’s in the morning or evening, plan time, 10-15 minutes or so, for journaling. As someone has said, “If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.”  We have to plan time for our spiritual journaling success.

2.       Use Prompts to Guide Our Reflection: Christian devotional writing prompts can help jumpstart our spiritual journaling. These prompts encourage us to focus and reflect on specific scripture and pray for guidance in specific areas.

3.       Write Honestly: This is one place where we do not have to filter our thoughts. Journaling is a safe practice.  In the privacy of our little notebook, we can explore our feelings and pour out our hearts to God.

4.       Focus on Scripture: As we reflect on Scripture, such as the Psalms, we can consider what a psalm says, what it means, what it means to our personal lives, and how it is written to guide our own thoughts. We can then write down what we feel God is revealing to us through those sacred words.

Writing Prompts for Bible Study

Writers use writing prompts all the time, in writing groups and when writing alone. Using prompts for Bible study, a written response provides a similar inspired response.  These prompts can be based on any scripture. The Psalms, with their poetry and all their facets of human emotion, are a great place to start. Here are a few ways we can use the Psalms to inspire our writing:

·         Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil.” This prompts us to think about a time when we felt God's presence in our dark valley moments or challenging situations. How can this verse speak to that experience?

·         Psalm 100:4: "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." We can write a prayer of gratitude that we might say while we enter the church doors.

·         Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted," encourages us in moments of weakness. In our writing, we can reflect on those times when we might have been depressed, but we still felt a closeness to God.

These Christian devotional writing prompts don’t just help you explore scripture. They encourage you to look inward and examine how God’s Word applies to your life today.

A Christian Writing Workbook to Aid Our Spiritual Journey

Like any goal, if we approach it with intention, we grow in the pursuit of it. The same holds true for reading spiritual journaling books. When we approach the reading with intention, it becomes a powerful tool for growth. Over time, we end up writing a spiritual memoir. In the reading of our own writing, we’ll notice patterns in our reflections: moments that have caused us to struggle. We can review the lessons God has taught us, and, most importantly, the scriptures that resonate most. This journey provides a clearer sense of purpose and a peace that comes from the entire experience.

It doesn’t matter if we’re new to writing or have been journaling for years. Using a Christian writing workbook filled with prompts and exercises can help us grow. By writing, we create a record, a record of our reading, our spiritual concerns and how God responded. We’ve created a record of our faith journey… one that helps us understand God’s Word on a deeper level and connect with Him in ways we might not have before.

Inspiration from the Psalms

Because the Psalms provide the spiritual reflections of each of their writers, they are an appropriate starting point for anyone’s spiritual reflection. The Book of Psalms expresses the range of human emotions. When we incorporate Psalms reflections and strategies into our journaling practice, we see our thoughts and feelings reflected in the lines we read, which inspires the lines we write.

Reading Psalm 19:14 with sincerity, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer,” sets the proper stage for our own writings. This verse alone can inspire a journaling response in words and meditations that aim to align with God’s will for our lives.

The Role of Inspirational Scripture-Based Books

Scripture-based books offer scaffolding to assist in understanding scripture. And they do more. They help us apply scripture in a way that is both personal and transformative. By engaging with the Bible in this way, we’ll find that our writing reflects more piercing thoughts in a more creative way. Spiritual journaling books like Psalms to Write By: Reflections, Prompts, Strategies by Margo Johnson McKenzie provide the perfect structure to help us engage with scripture honestly and creatively.

When we write in response to Christian devotional writing prompts, we engage in a dynamic process of reflection and prayer that helps us see our lives differently and brings us closer to God. As we immerse ourselves in scripture, we gain more wisdom, more compassion, more understanding, more likeness to God, if you will, and that pours out into our writing.

Conclusion

Yes, with spiritual journaling, we reflect on God’s Word, grow in our faith, and connect with God. The added bonus is that it provides a creative outlet for expression. Christian devotional writing prompts and Psalms reflections and strategies can create a powerful journaling practice that deepens our connection with God and also helps us grow as writers.

So what’s holding you back? Start your spiritual journaling journey today. Allow spiritual reflection to change your life. With the right tools and intentional practice, you’ll discover how journaling can bring clarity, peace, spiritual growth, and deepened creativity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is spiritual journaling and how can it benefit my faith?

Spiritual journaling is the practice of writing down your thoughts, prayers, and reflections based on scripture. It helps deepen your connection with God, track spiritual growth, and gain clarity.

How can writing prompts enhance my Bible study experience?

Christian devotional writing prompts guide you to reflect on scripture, connect deeply with its message, and express your thoughts and emotions in writing, helping you apply God's word to your life.

Can journaling help me process difficult emotions and challenges?

Yes, journaling offers a safe space to express and reflect on your struggles. By reflecting on Psalms reflections and strategies, you can find peace and clarity, knowing that God is with you.

How do I get started with spiritual journaling?

Begin by setting aside time each day, using Christian devotional writing prompts to guide your reflections. Write honestly, focus on scripture, and allow your journaling practice to deepen your spiritual connection.

What role do the Psalms play in spiritual journaling?

The Psalms are rich with emotion and spiritual insight. Incorporating Psalms reflections into your journaling helps you express your feelings, connect deeply with God’s word, and inspire your writing.