How Christian journaling is deepening my relationship with God my Father
A little while ago I posted a blog reflection called “Christian Hope and the Imagination” (published on the 20th July 2026). In that blog I wrote about a poem I had written back in 1974. I had found the poem in an old exercise book containing journal entries I had made in those early years of the 1970s – both before I gave my life to Jesus Christ and for a while afterwards.
My writings were hardly a journal really, just a few quotes from books I was reading, such as C S Lewis, some poems and descriptive prose I wrote, and the words of songs by Joni Mitchell who was a favourite singer-songwriter of mine in those early 1970 days. Then, abruptly, the writing dried up. It wasn’t until the off and on of the Covid lockdown of March 2020 to July 2021 that I turned once again to journaling, and this time to do it ‘properly’, regularly each day – and which I have carried on doing ever since.
What do I record in my journal?
During the Covid lockdown I found myself with more time to stop, pause and listen to hear what God was wanting to say to me. He said that He wanted me to be a “miner” – specifically to mine the riches of the Bible, to hear what He was saying to me more clearly through His Word and to incorporate its wisdom into my daily life. ( I think this was vital preparation for the blogging I now do).
My Father also talked to me about my fruitfulness in His purposes, reminding me that I had been created by Him for His purposes, not my own – and that if I was obedient and lived my life in His fruitfulness I had many years yet before me – healthy years of fulfilling His purposes, fruitful in my endeavours and, as a result, finding myself abundantly fulfilled. Yes, blogging was placed in my heart.
So in response to His words I resolved to be more serious about listening and responding – truly hearing Him and recording His words of both challenge and encouragement. But also my response – my thoughts and my resolution to act, on paper every day. In a way it was a statement of intent, of my readiness to respond to what God was telling me.
Proverbs 7:3 talks about God’s words and commandments when it says: “Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.” For me the act of writing in a journal helps me to write God’s words on the tablet of my heart.
I decided that was what Christian Journaling was all about. My computer quickly reassured me that “Christian journaling is the spiritual practice of tracking your relationship with God by writing down thoughts, prayers, and reflections. Unlike a standard diary, its primary purpose is to deepen your faith, internalise Scripture, and document God’s faithfulness over time.” (Google AI)
So what have I discovered over these last six years? First, that there is always plenty to write about – I now have quite a pile of hard back notebooks full of writing – God’s thoughts, scriptures and my thoughts, prayers and reflections. And as time has passed I can now truly say that I hear Him more clearly and more often.
And not just first thing in the morning! There are often times when we converse during the day and I have to record these too. All in all they make for interesting reading when I return to them and I am quite often reminded of truths revealed but then sometimes forgotten.
A summary
Perhaps I could sum up all my discoveries in four ways:
Journaling helps to keep me focused. I find that it stops my mind from wandering onto worldly things, while I am trying to spend quality time with my Heavenly Father. And, yes, it slows me down too.
It helps me chart my spiritual journey. As I look back I am reminded of just how God has answered my prayers in the past and then brought me to greater spiritual understanding.
It reminds me of the total, all encompassing, goodness of God, especially when at times things may not be going according to my plan.
And fourthly, journaling helps my memory – reminding me of promises both He and I have made (ones that He never forgets!) but also in memorising scripture as I write out sometimes large passages from the Bible that are timely in their relevance to my situation.
Some final thoughts
I love the opening verses of Psalm 1:
verse 1: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
For me the crunch comes in verse 2:
“But his (my) delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night”.
I’ve been a good reader from early childhood, but often I’ve been better at reading and less good at understanding! I find journaling helps me in my meditation. The act of writing often brings with it clarity of understanding – both what God is saying and why I need to hear it!
I hope these reflections may be an encouragement to you. Maybe if you are a part-time ”journal keeper” who finds it hard to be consistent, resolve to try again. If you have never tried it, why not decide to keep a regular journal for say three weeks – if you can manage three weeks then I think you might have nailed it and discovered how beneficial it is to do, continually! Let me know how you get on!
Hear and Write Now!
All references are from the NKJV unless specified otherwise.
John Partis
bearing-kingdom-fruit.com
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