Prayer Journaling as a Spiritual Practice
Prayer is an integral part of my life– in addition to the Modah Ani prayer I recite upon awakening, and the grounding words of the Shema I say as I drift off to sleep, I pray continually throughout the day.
Not because it makes hard things easy.
But because it helps me stay connected—
to God,
to hope,
to the people I love,
and to the deepest part of myself.
Lately, I have been praying a lot.
My daughter had her 21st chemo treatment this week. My dad is finally home after five weeks in the hospital and rehab. I am deeply grateful for both of those things. And at the same time, I feel completely overwhelmed.
There is so much to hold.
So much to track.
So much that is not in my control.
When life feels this uncertain, prayer becomes a way to be present to what is unfolding, even when the path ahead is unclear.
I often pray by putting pen to paper in a practice I call ‘prayer journaling’. These are some examples.
I sometimes include one of my journaled prayers in a book. The photo below shows an example of my prayer “Help me find the strength to dig deep into my soul, so I may pray with passion and purpose” in a guided prayer journal that was published in 2018.
Putting pen to paper helps me express what’s in my heart. Some of my journaled prayers are scribbled out of heartbreak, longing, helplessness, gratitude, or the desire to be of comfort to someone else.
Sometimes the prayer is for someone who is ill.
Sometimes it is for someone who is grieving.
Sometimes it is for people who are supporting loved ones on challenging journeys.
Sometimes it is simply a prayer for courage, clarity, and the strength to remain present.
I suspect many of you know that kind of prayer. The kind that rises up because someone you love is suffering.
The kind that says:
Please help.
Please heal.
Please comfort.
Please give me the words.
Please give me the strength.
I know how difficult it can be to find words when someone you love is facing illness, loss, fear, or uncertainty, and I want to offer prayers that might help. Sometimes borrowing someone else’s words can hold us until our own words return. And prayer, even when it does not change the facts, can change the space in which we hold them.
Below are pages from some of my prayer journals. The first one begins
“Eternal Source of Hope & Healing,
Please bless all who have awakened this day
in pain, fear or uncertainty…”
Another asks for the courage to be truly present with friends and family during their darkest hours.
“Dear God,
The older I get the harder life seems.
Help me find the courage to really be present
with my friends and family during their darkest hours.
Allow me to offer unconditional support to ease the burdens they shoulder.”
After my husband died in 2011, I became a grief educator and widow mentor. Many of the prayers I’ve written were inspired by my work in the grief world, and from supporting people through illness, transitions, and life-shattering challenges. From wanting people to know they are not alone.
During the pandemic I became much more intentional about writing prayers, and in addition to writing healing prayers, I have written a prayer for each of the 54 Parashiyot. You can find that collection in my new book, Illuminated Journey.
In addition to my longstanding prayer journaling practice, today I often type– rather than hand-letter– the words that are in my heart. Below are examples of some illustrated prayers in the Visual Midrash section of Illuminated Journey.
Prayer is an integral part of the two big projects I’ve been focusing on this year, Illuminated Journey and ZenScribe.
The new website, www.MyZenScribe.com includes an extensive collection of customizable healing prayers and Mi Shebeirach offerings for many different situations—cancer, surgery, hospice and palliative care, chronic illness, neurological conditions, respiratory disorders, and more. The goal is simple: to make it easier for people to create meaningful, personal prayers that can support those they love through difficult times.
Here are a few of the Healing Prayer templates.
If you know someone who is facing a medical challenge, or if you are looking for words to support a friend, family member, or community member, I hope these prayers will be helpful. I’m including a couple of full-size examples so you can read what I’ve written. All of the prayers are designed so you can add your loved one’s name and type of illness. For example, here’s a template for a healing prayer for a breast cancer diagnosis.
And here’s a template for a Mi Shebeirach prayer for someone facing a hospital stay. The prayers in ZenScribe are completely customizable, and I encourage you to use your own words if you’d like. I hope the words from my heart, almost all of which were written for someone I know, will give you a starting point to share what’s in your heart.
If you know someone who might benefit from a personalized healing prayer for a specific medical challenge, I hope you’ll take a look at the prayers in ZenScribe’s collection. There’s a 30% discount through the end of May on the ZenScribe subscription of your choice with the coupon code SHAVUOT30.
If you would like to explore ZenScribe’s Healing Prayer collection, you can find it here.
Guided journaling questions
- When in your life has prayer felt most real or necessary?
- What kinds of words do you find yourself reaching for when someone you love is suffering?
- How does prayer help you stay connected when life feels uncertain?
- Who in your life right now might need the support of a blessing, a prayer, or simply your loving presence?
Closing blessing
May those who are ill
be held in compassion,
strengthened in spirit,
and blessed with healing.
May those who love them
be granted patience, courage,
and the gift of quality time.
May our words become vessels of comfort.
May our presence become a form of care.
May we be blessed with the strength to keep showing up in love.
And may the prayers of our hearts be answered and fulfilled.