(Day 11 of a series called “23 days to a better devotional life.” I’m posting daily this month on devotions. I’m almost halfway into this series. Cool.)

Write a prayer to God.

After my last entry, I remembered how useful “prayer journaling” could be. When I first became a Christian my junior year in academy, I felt weird praying. It felt weird to communicate to an unseen being. I felt weird talking to the walls of my dorm room.

So, I asked a friend for help. She gave a great idea. She said, “Dee, why don’t you write God a letter?” For some reason, writing a letter to God didn’t feel as weird as talking to Him, so I started keeping a prayer journal.

Why is writing such a great way to connect to God?

Writing helps me see my life more clearly. Many times I have so much going on with work, classes, friends, and everything else. I get confused with where my life is going and what I should be doing. But writing my prayers helps me slow down enough to realize where I’m struggling and where I’m finding joy and victory. The act of writing forces me to gather my thoughts, feelings, and ideas and bring them to God in an organized manner. For example, instead of just praying “Help me, God!”, I can bring to God the specific needs and problems in my life. Instead of just praying “Thank you, God, for everything in my life,” I can thank him specifically for different blessings. And being specific makes my prayer life much more interesting.

Writing gives me a record of my prayer. This is neat and interesting if you think about it. I can remember my conversations with God if I write them. I can look back at my prayer requests and see how God has been working. I can look back at my thanksgiving and see how God has been blessing. I can see personal growth in my life as God answers my requests for development in my character. I can notice answered prayers quickly by looking back at my previous prayers. My recorded prayers can even inspire my future prayers.

Writing helps fight distraction. There’s something about writing that focuses me on a single idea. My next homework assignment, my next meal, how a certain someone feels about me, my summer plans, these are some of the things that can keep me distracted as I pray. Writing involves more of my senses as I pray, so I’m more likely to stay focused on God. Instead of just thinking or talking, I’m touching the pen (or keyboard) to write my prayer and I’m looking at my prayer as I’m writing it.

Try writing your prayers and see if it helps your prayer life.