Friday, September 16, 2011

A NEW SEASON IN PRAYER: PRAYER JOURNALING

Most of my Christian Life I have pursued God in prayer, but in 1994 I started a new form of prayer by writing my prayers in a journal. As I was contemplating what to write today I was led to pull out my first journal and share with you where I was in my prayer life seventeen years ago.

I first start journaling in 1994. I was pastoring a church in Beckley West Virginia. Me and my wife Vantoria had been married for three years and our son, Quincy was two years old. That was a challenging season for us on many fronts.

In my journal on August 3, 1994 I praised God for His righteousness and faithfulness.

I asked God to help me trust Him without reservations.

I meditated on Psalms 37:4, "DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD AND HE SHALL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART."

I wrote these principles to apply to my life that day:

1. Expect God to act on your behalf.
2. Get as close to God as you can.
3. Follow God today.

In those days I kept my prayer journal in a Composition Book purchased at Rite Aid Drugstore. Today I write my journal on my Microsoft Word program on my desktop personal computer. Back then I struggled to write my prayers, now it's as easy as breathing.

I have twenty five volumes of prayers written in the Composition Book and I have twenty volumes on my computer. These journals describe my journey with God for the last seventeen years. In them I have penned my failures and successes. My concerns and fears. I have shared with God on paper my heart and I have written what I have believed Him saying to me.

If you need a new season in your prayer life I recommend prayer journaling, it's worth it.    

Pastor Bernard Boulton, Pastor Gabriel Ojunjobi, Deacon Henry Law, Deaconess Vicky Law.
 I attended a prayer meeting in Lagos Nigeria with my host Pastor Gabriel Ojunjobi to my left, next to him are my two traveling companions, Deacon Henry Law and his wife Deaconess Vicky Law.

I led the congregation in the final  prayer of the meeting. It was an incredible week to prayer journal.
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4 comments:

  1. Tom BlubaughSeptember 16, 2011 at 12:26 PM

    Nice article, Bernard. I have been journaling for several years. You are more organized. I have several journals, but I have not referred back to them. Perhaps I should. I glad you said you also write what you believe God is saying to you. Several of mine have turned into a two way conversation with Him. It seemed strange to me, but they inspired me.

    Blessings,

    Tom Blubaugh
    Night of the Cossack

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  2. Bernard BoultonSeptember 16, 2011 at 4:31 PM

    Thanks Tom. What inspires me is that I have this ongoing conversation with the Almighty and I will always have those words written to read again and reflect on.

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  3. Deborah H. BatemanSeptember 16, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    Bernard, thanks for sharing this post with us. It sounds like doing a prayer journal is a good idea. It is good to look back at our life and see how God has answered our prayers. It gives us faith for the future and our prayers for today!

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  4. Bernard BoultonSeptember 16, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    Thanks Deborah for reading my post. I just finished reading how one of my counselors had given me a really hard time making me doubt a decision that I had made. Now as I read my conclusion about that person I should have dismissed him from my life much sooner than I did. But again I see even then how God was leading me.

    Now here it is seventeen years later and I'm having to make decisions about my future and what I beleive God is saying to me, but this time I'm more inclined to hear God than to lean on the counsel of man as I did then.

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