Free printable prayer journal (PDF template)
Print the booklet version and fold it, or print only the pages you like and refill them as you go. Either way, you'll have a place to write before you've finished your coffee.
Free printable · PDF
The PrayerBoard Prayer Journal
Twelve undated pages for daily prayer, the people you carry and the answers you don't want to forget. Free, with no sign-up.
US Letter. Also free: the 2027 edition with a dated cover, an ink-saver black and white version and a half-letter booklet (3 sheets, printed double-sided and flipped on the short edge, then folded). Printing on A4? Get the A4 version (or in black and white or the 2027 edition).
Want the next printable? We'll email you when there's a new one.
Preview all 12 pages
Every page is mostly white space and thin lines, so it's kind to a home printer. The ink-saver version drops the green accents for church copiers and anyone low on color ink. The lines are 8 mm apart, wide enough for ordinary handwriting.
More free printables, including a prayer board kit and a weekly prayer list, are on our printables page.
How to start a prayer journal
You don't need a special notebook or a quiet hour. You need a pen, something to write in and about ten minutes. Here's a simple way to begin this week.
- 1
Pick your paper
The printable above, a cheap spiral notebook or a nice leather one all work. Choose something you won't feel precious about. A journal you're scared to mess up stays empty.
- 2
Choose a time and a place
Mornings suit most people, but lunch breaks and bedtime work too. Keep the journal where you'll be at that time: on the kitchen table, by the bed, in your work bag.
- 3
Write your people page first
Before your first entry, list the people you want to pray for regularly. Family, close friends, your church and one or two people you find hard to love. You'll come back to this page more than any other.
- 4
Date it and start with one line
Write today's date and "Dear God," then say one honest thing. "I'm tired and I don't know what to say" is a real prayer. The second sentence is always easier than the first.
- 5
Use a simple pattern
A pattern like ACTS or the 5 P's (below) keeps entries from turning into a list of worries. Use it as a guide, not a test.
- 6
Leave room for the answer
Leave a margin or a few blank lines after each request. When something changes, come back, add the date and what happened. Write down the "not yet" and the "no" as well as the yes. Over time, that margin becomes a record of God's faithfulness, including in the things that didn't go the way you asked.
If you can't think what to write
Copy out a short psalm, then underline one line and write a sentence back to God about it. Psalm 23, Psalm 46 and Psalm 139 are good places to start.
The 5 P's of prayer and the ACTS method
Both are just checklists that make sure you talk to God about more than your problems. Page 2 of the printable puts them side by side so you can glance at them as you write.
ACTS
- Adoration: tell God who He is to you. Faithful, patient, near.
- Confession: name what you got wrong, plainly, and receive His forgiveness.
- Thanksgiving: thank Him for specific things from the last day or two.
- Supplication: ask, for other people and for yourself.
The 5 P's
People write the 5 P's in a few different ways. This is the most common version, and the one on our printable:
- Praise: worship God for His character.
- Pardon: confess and ask for forgiveness.
- People: pray for others by name.
- Petition: bring your own needs.
- Purpose: ask what God wants from your day, and offer it to Him.
The difference is small. The 5 P's give praying for others its own step, which is why many people who pray for friends and family prefer it. ACTS gives thanks its own step. Try each for a week and keep the one you actually use.
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.
Prayer journal ideas: 20 prompts for what to write
Pick one prompt a day, or use a few to fill a longer entry. Each has an example of what someone might write, so you can see how short an entry can be.
Praise
- One thing that's true about God today. "You were patient with me when I wasn't patient with anyone."
- Where you noticed Him this week. "The neighbor who shoveled our driveway without saying a word."
- A verse in your own words. "Psalm 46:1: You're the place I run to, and You're already there when I arrive."
- A name of God that fits the day. "Shepherd. I've felt lost all week and You keep coming after me."
Confession
- Something you'd do differently. "I snapped at Sam over the dishwasher. It wasn't about the dishwasher."
- A worry you've been holding onto. "I keep running the numbers on rent as if worrying will change them."
- Someone you need to forgive. "[Name], for what she said at Easter. I'm not there yet. Help me want to be."
Thanks
- Three small gifts from yesterday. "Hot water. A text from my sister. The bus was on time."
- A person you're grateful for, and why. "[Name], who still asks about my dad every single week."
- An answered prayer, even a partial one. "The scan was clear. The waiting was awful, but it's over."
- Something hard that taught you something. "Losing that job showed me who my real friends are."
People
- One person on your people page, in detail. "[Name]: first week at the new school. Let one kid sit with him at lunch."
- Someone you'd rather not pray for. "My manager. Give him a good day, and help me stop rehearsing arguments with him."
- A friend who's struggling quietly. "[Name] says she's fine. She isn't. Show me how to ask."
- Your church or small group. "Our pastor's family, the new couple who sat at the back and the Thursday group."
- Something in the news. "The families in the flood. The volunteers who haven't slept."
Your own needs
- A decision you're facing. "Whether to take the night classes. Make the next step clear, even if it's only one step."
- What you need for today. "Energy for the 3 p.m. meeting and patience at bath time."
Listening and remembering
- What you sense God might be saying. "Rest is not laziness. Stop apologizing for Sunday afternoons." (Test what you write against Scripture, and talk big impressions over with someone you trust.)
- A look back. "Reread March. I was terrified about Mom's surgery. She's gardening again."
If you pray for friends and family, the People prompts are the ones you'll use most. If you need words for a specific request, our prayer request examples are sorted by situation.
What a prayer journal entry looks like
Here's a sample entry using the 5 P's. It would take about eight minutes to write.
Tuesday, Jan 12
- Praise: Lord, You don't get tired of me. I get tired of me.
- Pardon: I was short with Mom on the phone. I'll call her back tonight and say sorry.
- People: [Name]'s biopsy results come Thursday. Give her sleep tonight. [Name] starts at the warehouse Monday; let his back hold up.
- Petition: Help me finish the report without panicking. And help with the car, please.
- Purpose: What do You want from today? Maybe just that phone call.
Margin, added Jan 15: Biopsy benign. Thank You.
That's it. No polished paragraphs, no theology essay. Most days, an honest page of short lines is a good page.
Some margins will say something harder, like "Not the news we wanted. Still praying." Those belong in the journal too. Some answers are "not yet," and some are "no."
How to keep a prayer journal going
A lot of prayer journals stall after a few weeks. Usually not because anyone stops believing, but because the notebook starts to feel like homework. A few habits keep it light.
- Lower the bar. Three lines count. On a bad day, write the date and one name, and call it done.
- Skip days without starting over. Don't leave blank pages for missed days or go back and fill them in. Write today's date and carry on.
- Tie it to something you already do. The first cup of coffee, the school drop-off, the last ten minutes before the lights go out.
- Track requests separately. When the same request appears every day, move it to the request tracker page. Your daily pages stay fresh, and the tracker shows you how long you've been asking.
- Do a monthly review. On the first Sunday of the month, read the last few weeks and fill in the monthly review page. Copy answers onto the answered prayers log.
- Tell someone you prayed. A two-line text ("You were in my journal this morning") keeps your prayers connected to real people. For friends who'd rather write their requests down, our free prayer request cards make it easy to ask.
- Let it be ugly. Crossed-out words and coffee rings are fine. This is between you and God.
When the journal feels heavy
If you notice your entries circling the same fear for weeks, or writing makes you feel worse, talk to a pastor, a counselor or a friend you trust. A journal is a good place to pray. It isn't meant to carry everything alone.
A journal also pairs well with a wall. Some people keep the private prayers in a notebook and pin the shared ones on a prayer board. If your journal's people page keeps growing, our guide to making a prayer list shows how to split it across the week.
Prayers to write on the first page of your journal
Copy one onto the inside cover, or use it as your very first entry.
A prayer to open a new prayer journal
Father, here is a clean notebook and a person who isn't sure how to fill it. I want to talk with You more honestly than I have. Some days I'll write a page, and some days I'll write Your name and stop.
Meet me on both kinds of days. Teach me to praise You before I complain, to say sorry without hiding and to pray for the people You've given me by name. When I flip back through these pages, let me see Your hand in them. Amen.
When you don't know what to write
Holy Spirit, I'm sitting here with the pen and nothing is coming. You know what's under the noise better than I do. Bring one thing to mind, and help me write it down without dressing it up. Amen.
Before writing about someone else
Lord, I'm about to write [Name]'s name. Help me pray for what they actually need, not just what I'd like to fix. Keep their story safe in this notebook, and give me the nerve to ask them how they're really doing. Amen.
When you reread old pages
God, I wrote these lines months ago, scared and sure nothing would change. Some things did. Some didn't, and I'm still asking. Thank You for staying with me through every one of them. Help me trust You with this page the way I wish I'd trusted You with those. Amen.
Short prayers for busy mornings
- Lord, here's my day before it starts. Amen.
- Jesus, I'm writing [Name]'s name because I can't do anything else for [him, her] today. Amen.
- Holy Spirit, slow my hand and quiet my head. Amen.
- Father, thank You for one more page. Amen.
Bible verses for a prayer journal
Write one at the top of your first page, or on the cover of the printable. These are from the King James Version.
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Malachi 3:16 describes God's own "book of remembrance" for people who talked about Him together. A prayer journal isn't that book, but it's a small way of remembering too.
This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
For a verse a week to pray for someone, try our free printable scripture cards.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
PrayerBoard for iPhone and Android
Some prayers belong in a notebook. Some belong with friends
PrayerBoard is a private circle for the few people you pray with. Share a request, see who prayed and thank God together when it's answered.
Now in beta on iPhone and Android. Free, with no ads and no tracking.
Questions people ask
What do you write in a prayer journal?
Write what you'd say to God if you were talking out loud: thanks, what you're sorry for, what you're worried about and the people on your mind. Date each entry and leave room to note answers later.
What are the 5 P's of prayer?
There isn't one official list, but the most common version is Praise, Pardon (confession), People (praying for others), Petition (your own needs) and Purpose (asking what God wants). It covers the same ground as ACTS, with praying for others given its own step.
How do I make a prayer journal PDF?
Download our free 12-page prayer journal PDF and print the pages you'll use. It also works in GoodNotes or Notability: import the PDF and write on it with a stylus. To make your own, a word processor with a few headings (date, verse, Dear God, people, thanks) exported as a PDF works fine.
How often should you write in a prayer journal?
Whatever you can keep up. Three or four short entries a week are better than a long one every few months. Many people write a few lines each morning and skip days without guilt.
What is the best free prayer journal app?
A plain notes app works for a private journal. If you want the friends you pray with to see requests and mark answers together, PrayerBoard is a free app built for that. Paper still wins for many people because there are no notifications.
