My favorite new spiritual tool in 2017 has been my prayer journal from ValMarie Paper. I wanted to highlight it just a bit during this series because it’s been helping me get back to making prayer and gratitude a regular practice in my life.
ValMarie has created multiple journals and sells them on her website. You can check out her men’s and couple’s prayer journals, gratitude journals, and undated monthly journals. I’ve been using her yearly prayer journal (which she’s noted has a shorter supply available for 2017 this fall, so grab one soon!).
This journal contains three sections: Prompts, Conversation and Gratitude. I’ve used all equally and they’ve each helped me discipline myself in prayer in different ways.
The Prompts Section simply lists various areas of life we can cover in prayer, such as world and nation, community, family, friends, personal, big goals, etc. It includes a couple of pages to record scripture or quotes that speak to you through the month, as well as a space to record answered prayers.
The Conversation Section means to encourage you to write out prayers to God. Lots of blank pages for you to pour out your heart.
And the Gratitude Section has about 1000 lines for you to list gifts from God as the year goes on, inspired by the book 1000 Gifts, by Ann Voskamp about cultivating gratitude.
ValMarie’s number 1 goal on her website states:
To create products that usher you into the presence of God and help you eliminate distractions.
I love her heart behind her products. She’ll state clearly that you don’t need one of her journals to spend time with the Lord, but that she created these products because having a journal like this helped her be more intentional in her prayer life. I’ve found it to be true for me as well. I’ve invested in this beautiful book, and have it ready and waiting for me so when I get some time with the Lord, there’s plenty of space right there to practice the disciplines I want to grow in.
If nothing else, at least go follow ValMarie on Instagram or Facebook for her inspiration and honesty about growing close to God in real life.