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Ally blogs at The Modern Mary. She loves to read, write, pray, study the Bible, doodle, and watch TV—sometimes all at the same time! She has a passion for helping and encouraging others to find their identity in Christ through focused prayer and by keeping a Prayer Journal. Ally is on a journey to be more like Mary and less like Martha—to keep life simple! She stays busy by leading Bible study and homeschooling her 3 young boys.
Over the past couple of years, my prayer journal has become my best friend and my number one accountability partner. It provides the perfect place to track who you prayed for, what you prayed for, how you prayed, and then (my favorite!) how your prayers were answered.
New to prayer journaling? Check out my beginner’s guide to prayer journaling over at “The Modern Mary” I offer a really helpful list of “Prompts for Your First 30 Days of Prayer Journaling.”
Praying for Marriages-
Over the past couple of months, God has really put marriage on my heart. I have watched some of my closest friends go through the pain of separation and divorce. Couples I thought would never be torn apart have split up and gone their separate ways.
It’s so heartbreaking.
But also—it’s made me really think about my own marriage. I wonder if I’m doing the “soul work” it takes to nurture it and protect it.
On the surface—it’s great, but so were my friend’s marriages.
And I know I shouldn’t compare, but I feel like God has put it on my heart for a reason, and I’m going to honor that nudge, ya know what I mean?
How to Keep a Prayer Journal:
First: Open with prayer, ask for guidance—what does God want you to hear or pray about?
Second: Start writing—either what’s on your mind or the scripture prompt. Just allow yourself to be in the Spirit and open to what God is trying to tell you.
Third: End with prayer and reflection
Click over to my blog really quick for a more detailed instructions on how to keep a prayer journal.
The Challenge:
The plan is simple—take one prompt a day, for 15 days, and meditate/pray on it.
One thing I know for sure—when you spend dedicated time in the Word, focused on your marriage, God will reward your faithfulness with clarity and a sense of direction.
I chose 15 traits of a healthy marriage—in my opinion these are the most important ones, but I’m sure there are some I left off. Next, I prayed about which scriptures should be used as prompts—I feel like God was right on point here.
I’m currently on day seven and have already noticed a huge difference in my marriage. I can’t wait to see how the challenge turned out for you!
15 Prayer Journal Prompts to Strengthen your Marriage
Compromise
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” –Ephesians 5:33
Patience
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” –Ephesians 4:2
Generosity
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” –2 Corinthians 9:7
Forgiveness
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”- 1 Peter 4:8
Friendship
“Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”-Philippians 2:2
Humor
“He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” –Job 8:21
Communication
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” –Psalm 19:14
Intimacy
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” -1 John 3:18
God Honoring
“We love because He first loved us.”-1 John 4:19
Affection
“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” –Genesis 2:24
Faithfulness
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” –Hebrews 13:4
Commitment
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:12
Humility
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.”- Ephesians 4:2-3
Honesty
“An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.” –Proverbs 12:4
Selflessness
“Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.” –Proverbs 28:27
Not only will practicing these 15 traits make you a better spouse, but it will also make you a better parent, friend, sister, lover, and believer.
Have you ever journaled before? If so how has it positively impacted your life?
Great journaling prompts. Anything that helps to strengthen a marriage is awesome. Thank you!!
These are helpful prayer journal prompts! I want to start prayer journaling for this new year and this will help get me started!
Oh, Julie, that will be fun! I hope you enjoy journaling this year!
These are not just good journal prompts, but they are good conversation starters for your marriage.
Susan – what a good point! These scriptures could be great conversation starters as well. They could really create some intimacy talking about them.