Prayer journal template: 7 page layouts to copy, with examples
A prayer journal template is a ready layout for a page: a few headings you fill in each time you pray, so you never stare at a blank page. The simplest has four lines: date, a verse, what you're thankful for, and what you're asking. Below are seven layouts to copy into any notebook or notes app (daily, ACTS, Scripture, weekly list, people rota, answered prayers and gratitude), a filled-in example page, how to choose one, and how to keep the habit going. No download or sign-up needed.
Template 1: the simple daily page (5–10 minutes)
Start here if you're new to prayer journaling. Copy these headings onto a page and fill them in each day.
| Heading | What to write | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Today's date. You'll be glad of it in a year. | 1 line |
| Verse | One verse you read today, written out. | 1–3 lines |
| Thank you for | Three specific things from the last 24 hours. | 3 lines |
| I'm carrying | What's on your mind: worries, decisions, people. | 3–6 lines |
| Please | Your requests, each on its own line, so you can mark answers later. | 3–5 lines |
| Today I will | One thing to do in response. | 1 line |
Leave a narrow column down the right edge of the "Please" section. That's where you'll write the date and a word when a prayer is answered.
Template 2: the ACTS page
ACTS is a four-part shape for prayer: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. As a journal page it keeps you from writing only a request list. Our ACTS prayer model guide explains each part with verses.
| Section | Prompt | A verse to start from |
|---|---|---|
| Adoration | Who is God? Write one thing about his character. | Psalm 100:5 |
| Confession | Where did I fall short since I last prayed? Be specific, then write "forgiven." | 1 John 1:9 |
| Thanksgiving | What has he given? Name it. | Psalm 103:2 |
| Supplication | What am I asking, for me and for others? | Philippians 4:6 |
Split the page into four boxes, or write the four letters down the margin. Some people give each letter a different color.
Template 3: the Scripture page (read, notice, apply, pray)
For days when your prayer comes out of your Bible reading. Many churches teach this four-step shape, sometimes called SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer).
- Scripture: write out the verse or two that stood out. Copying by hand slows you down enough to notice words.
- Notice: what does it say about God? About people? What's the setting?
- Apply: what does this mean for me today? Something to believe, stop, start or thank God for.
- Pray: write a short prayer from the verse, in your own words.
Head the page with a one-line prayer before you read, such as Psalm 119:18: "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of your law" (WEB). Our guide to prayer before reading the Bible has twelve more.
Template 4: the weekly prayer list
One page for the whole week, kept at the front of the journal or on a card in your Bible. It's the place for the things you pray about every day. For a longer list with a day for each group and a group version, see our prayer list template.
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Request | Dad's scan results |
| Date added | Nov 2 |
| Verse I'm praying | Psalm 46:1 |
| M T W T F S S | A tick each day you prayed it |
| Answered | Nov 9: clear. Thank you. |
Keep the list to about ten items. When it grows past that, move the long-term requests to the people rota below, so the daily list stays prayable in a few minutes.
Template 5: the people rota (pray for others by day)
You can't pray in detail for everyone every day. A rota spreads them across the week, so everyone gets prayed for and no day is overwhelming.
| Day | Who | What to pray |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Your church and pastor | Faithful teaching, care for the hurting, unity |
| Monday | Your spouse or closest person | Their week, their walk with God, your love for them |
| Tuesday | Children or the young people in your life | Faith, friends, safety, character |
| Wednesday | Extended family | Health, needs, anyone far from God |
| Thursday | Friends and neighbors | By name, with one specific need each |
| Friday | Work: colleagues, boss, customers | Wisdom, integrity, your witness there |
| Saturday | The sick, grieving and struggling | Comfort, healing, provision |
Write the names under each day. When someone tells you "pray for me," add them to a day before you forget. For what to say once you've written their name, see how to pray for someone, or our guides for your husband, your wife and your children.
Template 6: the answered prayer log
This is the page most people say they treasure later. The Bible often tells God's people to remember: Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer, "saying, 'The LORD helped us until now'" (1 Samuel 7:12, WEB). An answered prayer log is a written Ebenezer.
| Date asked | What I asked | Date answered | How God answered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14 | A job before the lease ends | Oct 20 | Not the one I applied for, a better one |
| Oct 1 | Peace about Mom's move | Oct 30 | Slowly. Still praying, but sleeping again. |
| Oct 8 | For Sam to come back to church | Still waiting |
Leave room for answers that are "no" and "not yet." Those are answers too, and in hindsight they often teach the most. "I will remember the LORD's deeds; for I will remember your wonders of old" (Psalm 77:11, WEB).
Template 7: the gratitude page
A page that fills slowly: one line a day, numbered. After a month you'll have thirty specific gifts; after a year, three hundred and sixty-five.
- Number each line. It's encouraging to watch the count grow.
- Be specific. Not "family," but "Lily laughing at breakfast."
- Include the small. Hot water, a green light, a kind text.
- Read it back on hard days, or at Thanksgiving. Our thanksgiving prayers include a 7-day plan that uses a list like this.
"Praise the LORD, my soul, and don't forget all his benefits" (Psalm 103:2, WEB) is the verse to write at the top.
A filled-in example page
Here is template 1 filled in, so you can see how short a real entry can be. It took about seven minutes.
Date: Tuesday, November 3
Verse: "Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8
Thank you for: 1. The car started in the cold. 2. A good talk with Jen. 3. Coffee before anyone else was up.
I'm carrying: The meeting Thursday. I'm worried I'll freeze. Dad's appointment. Money is tight until the 15th. I snapped at the kids last night and felt awful.
Please: Calm for Thursday. A good report for Dad. Help me apologize to the kids today, and mean it. Enough until payday.
Today I will: Say sorry at breakfast.
Notice what it doesn't have: long paragraphs, fine handwriting, or spiritual-sounding language. Plain and honest is the point. "Pour out your heart" means exactly that.
Which template should I use?
| If you... | Start with |
|---|---|
| Are new to journaling or short on time | Template 1, the simple daily page |
| Find your prayers are only requests | Template 2, ACTS |
| Want prayer and Bible reading together | Template 3, the Scripture page |
| Forget what you promised to pray for | Templates 4 and 5, the weekly list and people rota |
| Struggle to believe God answers | Template 6, the answered prayer log |
| Feel low or tend to see what's wrong | Template 7, the gratitude page |
A good full setup for one notebook: the weekly list and people rota at the front, the answered prayer log and gratitude page at the back, and daily pages (template 1, 2 or 3) in the middle. Pick one daily layout and use it for a month before you switch.
How to set up your prayer journal
- Choose a notebook you'll actually carry. A plain lined notebook works as well as a designed journal. A5 (about 6 by 8 inches) fits on a lap and in a bag.
- Number the pages and leave the first two blank for an index, so you can find answered prayers later.
- Set up the fixed pages. Weekly list and people rota at the front. Answered prayers and gratitude at the back, writing toward the middle.
- Write a first-page prayer. Something like: "Lord, this notebook is for talking with you. Teach me to pray." Date it.
- Keep it with your Bible and a pen in the place you pray, so there's nothing to find in the morning.
Prefer your phone? A notes app works. Make one note for the weekly list, one for answered prayers, and a new note each day using template 1 (save it as a template or copy it). Turn on do-not-disturb before you start; the hardest part of digital journaling is the notifications.
How to keep a prayer journal going
- Tie it to something daily. The same chair, the same cup of coffee, the same time. Our guide on how to have a consistent prayer life has a 6-week plan for building the habit.
- Set a small minimum. On a bad day, write the date and one line. A short entry keeps the chain going.
- Don't backfill. Missed a week? Skip the blank days and write today's date. No catching up.
- Review monthly. On the first of each month, read last month's pages and update the answered prayer log. It's the most encouraging fifteen minutes of the month.
- Keep the page short if long ones put you off. Our prayer journal for men uses a five-line page that takes five minutes.
- Use prompts when you're stuck. Our 40 prayer journal prompts give you a question for every day of a 40-day stretch.
- Keep it private. Write as if no one else will read it, so you can be honest. If that matters, keep it somewhere others won't pick it up.
If you'd rather be led than start from a page, our free day 1 reads a Psalm aloud and walks you through ten minutes of prayer you can journal from afterward: play day 1 free.
Common mistakes with a prayer journal
- Making it pretty instead of honest. Lettering and stickers are fine, but if decorating takes longer than praying, simplify.
- Only writing requests. A journal that's all asking can feel heavy. Add thanks and praise (templates 2 and 7).
- Writing to yourself instead of to God. A diary records your day; a prayer journal talks to God about it. Start sentences with "Lord" or "Father" now and then.
- Never looking back. The value of a journal grows when you read it. Without the review, you lose the answered prayers.
- Using five templates at once. Start with one daily layout. Add the others when you need them.
Is a prayer journal biblical?
The Bible doesn't command a prayer journal, but much of it is prayer written down. The Psalms are prayers that someone recorded, and "this will be written for the generation to come" (Psalm 102:18, WEB). God told Habakkuk, "Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets" (Habakkuk 2:2, WEB), and Mary "kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19, WEB). Writing is a way of pondering, and of remembering what God has done. It's a tool, not a test: you can pray faithfully without one.
Starting one with a child? Our prayer journal for kids has simpler pages for ages 3 to 13 and 40 prompts kids answer.
Common questions
What should be in a prayer journal?
At least the date, a verse, what you're thankful for, and what you're asking. Add a weekly prayer list, a people rota and an answered prayer log as you go.
How do I start a prayer journal for beginners?
Copy template 1 into any notebook, write for five minutes tomorrow morning, and keep going for a week before changing anything. Simple and daily beats elaborate and occasional.
Is there a free printable prayer journal template?
Every layout on this page is free to copy by hand or into a document and print. You don't need a download; a pen and the headings above are enough.
How often should I write in my prayer journal?
Daily if you can, even one line. Some people journal three times a week and pray without writing on the other days. Consistency matters more than length.
What do I write when I don't know what to say?
Write that. "Lord, I don't know what to say today." Then copy out a Psalm, or answer one prompt. Our guide on how to pray when you don't know what to say has nine more ways in.
Can I use a prayer journal app instead of paper?
Yes. A plain notes app with these templates works well. Paper is slower, which helps some people focus; a phone is always with you. Choose the one you'll open every day.
Pick one template, copy its headings into a notebook tonight, and write your first page tomorrow. If you'd like a daily prayer to journal from, answer a few questions to build your 40-day prayer plan. More in our prayer guides.
Sources
Scripture: World English Bible (public domain), eBible.org. Pages read for this guide: Compassion UK, "Free Prayer Journal Templates"; Joyful Moments in Christ, "Prayer Journal Templates"; Edit.org, "Prayer journal templates".