Prayer journaling has become popular in the Christian community and for good reason. Prayer journals are great for recording your requests and recognizing what God has done in your life. You can purchase elaborate prayer journals, but one is not necessary for your hiking and camping adventures. I’m going to teach you how to make your own simple prayer journal that is perfect for your adventures and easy for beginners.
Keep in mind that a prayer journal for outdoor adventures is a little different than one for everyday life. Our prayers and the way we seek God will be influenced by what we are experiencing, and though those outdoor experiences impact our everyday life, outdoor adventures position us in unique environments and circumstances to seek God.
I hope you like the prayer journal tips for adventurers that I included in my instructions for making your own prayer journal!
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Step by Step Instructions to Make a Prayer Journal
1. Purchase a notebook or journal. Because you will probably be tucking it in a backpack, I would look for a light weight, smaller notebook or journal.
An inexpensive, lined notebook works fine or these lightweight journals are awesome. These waterproof, pocket size notebooks are neat, but you may think they are a little small. You choose one that is best for you after considering the cost, weight, and size.
Keep your journal clean and dry by storing it in a ziploc bag in your pack. You can keep your pen or pencil in there too.
2. Label your prayer pages right before each adventure. Rather than having prayer pages for each day of the week, we will create ours for each adventure.
You can create daily pages for each day of your backpacking or camping adventure or use a single entry. If you are on a multi day trip, I encourage you to find time to write in your prayer journal every day. The single entry works good if you are day hiking, kayaking, fishing etc
3. Begin each entry in your prayer journal with a date and location. I think dates are important for reference so you can look back through your journal to see how God has been working in your life.
The location is vital info as I believe you will see God, seek God, and hear from God in different ways depending on where you are. A mountain, forest, lake, river, and desert all present different environments and experiences.
If you are on a multi day backpacking trip, record the daily location on the trail. Any backpacker knows that different parts of the trail and days on the trail present different challenges. And those challenges are prime opportunities to experience God working in your life!
4. Record a Bible verse for your adventure or day in your prayer journal. Perhaps you know the Scripture before embarking on your adventure or maybe God will reveal that to you as you pray and seek Him. You may have one verse for the adventure or a different one every day if you are backpacking and camping.
5. Create a section in your prayer journal for what you are thankful for. Begin your daily prayer journaling with thanksgiving. It may be a given that you are thankful for the opportunity to go on your adventure, to see God’s creation, and experience it with those that are with you (or the chance to be alone).
Praise and thanksgiving are powerful. I want you to dig deeper than the obvious and look for things to be thankful for.
If you are having a tough time on your adventure or enduring mishap or even physical pain, it can be hard to feel thankful! You may be holed up in your tent because of rain, but then you are given the opportunity to rest and spend more time with God.
6. Ask God for help. God wants to help you, just be sure you remember to ask for forgiveness and offer thanks too. I think many of us are guilty of always asking God for help, but praying about nothing else.
[alert color=”purple”] For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13 [/alert]
Don’t forget to intercede for others. Perhaps things are rolling along pretty good in your life and on your adventure, but surely you know of someone that needs a touch from Jesus! Maybe a fellow adventurer is struggling or a friend or family member at home.
Be sure to list those prayer requests so you can look back and see how God answered your prayers. It may be in ways you never dreamed!
7. Don’t forget to record what God is restoring and revealing to you on your adventure. Pour your heart out to Him here. Take time to look and listen for God and write down how He is speaking to you.
What is God restoring in your life through your adventure? How has He provided rest for you? I’m not talking about physical rest (cause I know you may be working hard!) but how have you been resting spiritually and emotionally during this time away from the stress of every day life?
I know I always think I will remember what was revealed to me, but if I am tired or excited during an adventure, I sometimes forget specifics I didn’t think I would. Write it down!
Keep Your Adventure Prayer Journal Simple
Because you will probably be using your prayer journal after a busy day outside or a long day on the trail, I have not included tons of sections for tabs, calendars etc. Keep it simple and use it like a diary of sorts or letters to God.
Feel free to draw and doodle in your journal. Creation is awesome inspiration!
If you would like a printable prayer journal page, I have created a few different designs based on the prompts I covered in this post. To use these, you will need a binder. I recommend a flexible binder like these to save weight on the trail.
SIGN UP BELOW TO GET YOUR FREE PRAYER JOURNAL PAGES FOR YOUR ADVENTURES.
DIY Prayer Journals
Tell me about your prayer journals. Have you ever took one on a backpacking or camping trip before? If you are new to prayer journaling, it will be so easy to make your own prayer journal and get started!
- Purchase a notebook, journal, (or binder if using my free prayer journal pages)
- Label your pages right before each adventure.
- Begin each entry with a date and location of your adventure.
- Record a Bible verse.
- Create a section to write what you are thankful for.
- Ask God for help and list those prayer requests.
- Write down what God is revealing and restoring on your adventure.
