Not everyone likes journaling. If you’re like me, you have tried it before (or tried it lots of times!) and gave up after a few pages. Most women seem to like the idea of keeping a diary. But without a sense of purpose, it can be difficult to establish a practice. You might wonder, why do people recommend Bible journaling?

For a long time I thought I hated any kind of journaling! I thought it a major waste of my precious time to write out my thoughts and feelings…not something I’d ever want to read again! And I certainly didn’t want anyone else to read them. Then I discovered another way of journaling that would become so life-giving and fulfilling for me that I’m now a journaling devotee. I’d even go so far as to call myself a journaling evangelist! I want everyone to try faith journaling (my preferred term!) because it’s a habit that has changed my life profoundly. Read on to find out the big WHY, with seven reasons Bible/faith journaling can turn your spiritual life from reluctant duty to joy-filled discovery.

1. You need to slow down.  

It’s paradoxical. You’re already moving so fast on the merry-go-round, trying to keep up with life. How could adding one more thing help you to slow down? You’re juggling employment, family, church responsibilities, aging parents, wellness goals, ETC! I hear you. It’s exhausting. Just put it all on hold for a sec to answer the following question. What is the first thing you drop when your schedule is packed?

For me, it’s stillness. When I am super busy it becomes so difficult to slow down that even prayer gets difficult. The truth is, I will probably always have a to-do list that’s longer than the 24 hours I have each day. So I have to make a decision to do one thing that not only feeds my spiritual life, it nourishes all areas of life! Journaling is a way of slowing down that switches off adrenaline. It creates a restful state of concentration that opens up creative thought processes. Slowing down with journaling will truly bless your day. I actually get more done, and better work done, when I have journaled.

Any practice that you complete regularly becomes easier. When you establish a Bible journaling practice, soon you will be able to enter relaxation with ease. A journaling routine only takes a few minutes, but it extends out and blesses all the other moments as well.

2. You need to hear from God.

When you go slow, the noise and chatter subsides. As you sit at your journal, in your familiar place, calmly writing out a passage, everything goes quieter. While you carefully transcribe word by word, you can begin to hear the whisper of God speaking into your life. In my experience, God seldom shouts to get my attention. Remember when Elijah the prophet met God on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19)? Elijah was on the run and overwhelmed, but God didn’t shout to get his attention. God didn’t speak to him out of the earthquake, the whirlwind or the fire. He spoke in a still, quiet voice.

You can enter a time of stillness through Bible journaling. Your journaling practice can be as simple or complex as your time allows. To begin, I suggest writing out a passage of your choice. You may use a Bible app with a reading plan if that’s easier. If you have more time, you may take a moment to record any ideas that come to mind. You might also add a prayer. Initially, let this be a simple act. Sit in a quiet spot and get ready to be blessed by your experience of God’s presence and love. Hearing from God through journaling is a gift that will keep giving more as you go deeper into your relationship with God.

3. You need to gain insight.

Journaling feelings and daily activities is a popular past-time these days. However, the kind of journaling I’m advocating has so much more to offer. Rather than simply recording what is happening, Bible journaling has a purpose. It allows you to move forward into graciously transforming life. Scripture has the power to speak truth into your life in a way that is timely and deeply impacting. If you commit to writing scripture, God will turn up and bless your activity with Holy Spirit endowed wisdom and all the insight that you need.

God’s word is his number one way of communicating to us, about him, ourselves, and the world. Learning the Bible is a lifetime journey, but you can begin to absorb its blessings with a regular process. Slowing down to write a few verses is a habit that compounds your insights over time. You will be amazed at how God will speak wisdom and truth that you need to hear, for the time you are in, as you are writing. Your decisions will be better informed, and your path in life will take a clearer direction.

4. You need to document your discoveries.

With regular journaling, spirit-filled glimpses and deep truths are normal discoveries. Bible journaling is important not only as a means of receiving insight, it also gives the method of holding onto these insights for full impact. In this way, your experiences with God continue to speak into your life in the future. You will begin to remember the things you have learned, and to be able to share them with others. You will be able to speak from the heart, because your insights haven’t been fleeting. They have become part of you.

One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to “bring things to mind.” How much easier for the Holy Spirit to remind us of something from scripture when we have given it our attention and appreciation. Your journal is a treasure trove the Holy Spirit will draw from again and again, nourishing your understanding and faith.

5. You need to keep on track when times get tough.

Do you ever feel like your prayer life consists of crying out to God in crises? During periods of struggle, it becomes harder to hear from God. Our brains don’t process information very well when adrenaline is surging! I have often found myself losing perspective during a time of intense stress, and finding it harder to hear from God as well as to speak to him.

Once you establish a Bible journaling habit, you will have a constant reminder of your precious faith interactions. Even at times when you are not able to hear God’s voice, you can return to your journal pages to rediscover what God has said. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, and your journal is a way you can receive that comfort. At times when I have found myself deeply troubled, just REMEMBERING a journal entry I had made earlier took me out of overwhelm immediately. You might like to start carrying your journal in your handbag and/or keeping it by your bedside. How much nicer to browse a lovely journal than death-scrolling your phone…! It will give peace and connect you to the eternal things of God throughout the day. It’s also a perfect way to relax into sleep.

6. You need to resource your service to God.

When you start a journal it might be hard to imagine that someday you will need it missionally. With a bit of consistency, that journal grows quickly into a treasure trove. Your inspired messages are available to employ in life, and in ministry. In my first year as a house church pastor, I had to give a Sunday message nearly every week! (Incidentally, it’s not any quicker to give a message to fewer people…it takes the same amount of time!) I also had women’s group messages twice a month, and a new course I was developing. (That was for a group of refugee women in Tanzania…you can find out about that adventure here!) I would never have been able to accomplish all that without my trusty journals.

My journals gave me rich resources to draw on, as well as a method of crafting messages and getting ideas in real time. At times, even if I was drawing a complete blank, my journaling would give the solution. I would end up with something joyful and specific, meeting the need perfectly. Journaling became my tool of sermon creation, message development and immersion in scripture topics my church and ministry groups needed. It was essential to our church and myself thriving. Most of all, it was so reassuring to know the Holy Spirit was guiding me along as part of a life-giving holistic process.

7. You need to experience joy.

Reaching out to God in the midst of a busy day is an act of faith. God blesses that intention richly, with precious gifts. One of those gifts is joy, truly “fruit of the Spirit”. Fruit is what grows on a healthy tree that is given the care and attention it needs. Drawing close to God and inviting the Holy Spirit to guide you in a creative Bible journaling process will bear sweet fruit. This is the fruit we need to keep going.

Joy is one of those delightful fruits, but it’s not a cherry on top as we might often feel. As a woman of faith, joy is essential to your work and life. As a woman leader (or leader in the making!) joy fuels your service. It is also magnetic to others. It is evangelistic, it carries us over the bumps and scrapes of our mission journey. Joy is not a tool to get to the end point, it is the end point. Joy is an eternal property that you will always have. The greatest joy is to see joy transmitted to others.

Make a start.

How does journaling give joy? Sitting before God at rest allows you to search his heart as well as yours. All it takes is slowing down, writing a few verses. As you grow in confidence you can add in  some colour, a photo, clipping or drawings. Writing a thought and a prayer adds to your meditation in the Lord’s presence. You do not want to miss this one simple thing that can change your life in so many ways.

Bible journaling is not a chore, it is essential for you. You can create an unforgettable experience of God that is life-changing. Are you ready to get started with Bible journaling? A great place to begin is with our devotional email series on the Gospel Women of Luke 8! Sign up for the series below.