Personal Prayer Journal: Anglican Fellowship of Prayer

Ever since 1997, this Anglican Fellowship of Prayer Notebook has been a daily anchor to my daily prayer life. This year we have enlarged it, and retitled it a bit to be called: “Personal Prayer Notebook With a Pencil”. With a pencil because this is meant not just to be prayed through, but for you to stop and reflect. Specifically to write down: Daily thanksgivings, joys, and disappointments, as well as members of your family and others who have requested prayer. Yes, this is a living, breathing prayer charter from you into the heartbeat of God. Here are some of my own tips for empowering this prayer tool. First, I always prefer using this notebook in the morning, right after my daily Bible in a year readings. Like financial tithing, I am giving the Lord the first 10% of my day, rather than evening hours when I tend to get sleepy. Second, when I get to the confession, specifically the 10 Commandments on page 43, I normally take two commandments a day to analyze my life. Notice that underneath the commandment is the application and spirit of the commandment, which is very useful for auditing one’s life. Third, and under Petition, don’t be afraid to pray for yourself! It’s really okay to pray for the desires of your heart! Matthew 7:7: Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. Fourth, get a new notebook each year. Our prayers and intercessions should be fresh and updated daily, and using a new one yearly will help you track your life and the conditions of others. Fifth tip? Use this every day. This tool, or other tools like it, are mandatory for developing our prayer life and transforming the Kingdom of God. One final thought. This book was originally published in 1985 and dedicated to a wonderful woman of prayer named Alys Smith. Alys was a pioneer of the prayer group movement and many Anglicans attribute their “Start” in the life of prayer to Alys. Alys was the widow of the Rev. J. Herbert (Jack) Smith who became Rector of All Saints’ Church, Beverly Hills, California in 1942. In the intervening 43 years, Alys was a prayer teacher, and prayer group leader of unparalleled energy, imagination and wisdom. Oh, two more things: Please wear this book out! Second, as you pray using this tool, know that at that very moment many more St. Michaelites are doing the very same thing