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Daily journal prompts can make the difference between staring at a blank page every morning and actually building a journaling habit that sticks.<\/p>\n
Maybe you know the feeling.<\/p>\n
You sit down with your coffee, open your journal to a fresh page, pick up your pen \u2026 and then stare at the blank page with slow blinking eyes, \u2026 thinking, now what?<\/em><\/p>\n You don\u2019t know what to write.<\/strong><\/p>\n If that sounds familiar, you\u2019re not alone. One of the biggest obstacles to creating a consistent journaling habit is knowing what to put on the page once you have that journal spread open before you.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why daily journal prompts can be incredibly helpful. Instead of asking your half-awake brain to come up with something profound at 6:30 in the morning, a good prompt gives you a place to begin.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s really all you need: a place to begin.<\/p>\n And I\u2019m here to help!\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019m Jennifer Dukes Lee, author of multiple bestselling books<\/a><\/strong> including two guided journals, The Every Morning Journal<\/em> and Stuff I\u2019d Only Tell God<\/em>. I coach people on journaling, but more than that, I\u2019ve been doing this myself for years. I\u2019ve filled numerous journals with prayers, Scripture reflections, gratitude, questions, worries, hopes, and the ordinary stuff of everyday life.\u00a0<\/p>\n So I know firsthand that journaling doesn\u2019t have to be complicated, profound, or time-consuming to be meaningful.<\/p>\n Sometimes, you just need the right question to get you started. Let\u2019s give it a go!<\/p>\n I\u2019m a big believer in paying attention to what gets our first attention, especially upon waking.\u00a0<\/p>\n The morning can quickly get away from us when texts start pinging and headlines start shouting. Before you know it, chaos has ensued, and everyone is telling us what they need from us, and we\u2019ve accidentally skipped over something we consider important: talking with God at the start of the day.<\/p>\n There is something powerful about taking a few minutes in the morning to notice what\u2019s happening in your heart, soul, mind, and body, \u2026 and then to bring all of it before God.<\/p>\n Morning journaling can help you with that. Journal prompts can help ask questions like:<\/p>\n What am I carrying into this day?<\/em><\/p>\n What am I grateful for?<\/em><\/p>\n What needs my attention today \u2013 and what doesn\u2019t?<\/em><\/p>\n What is God saying to me through His Word?<\/em><\/p>\n How am I doing, really?<\/em><\/p>\n Your morning journal doesn\u2019t have to become another item on your to-do list. And you certainly don\u2019t need to fill three pages before breakfast.<\/p>\n I have learned that some mornings, a few sentences about how you\u2019re REALLY feeling are more than enough.<\/p>\n This is where daily journal prompts can take away so much of the pressure.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to sit down every morning and wonder, What in the world am I going to write about today?<\/em><\/p>\n The questions are already waiting for you.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got lots of journal prompts to share with you, but rather than simply handing you a giant list of random questions, I want to show you what this can actually look like in practice.<\/p>\n In fact, I\u2019m about to share with you some of the exact prompts I created for you inside of The Every Morning Journal<\/em>.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n In the journal, each morning\u2019s pages begin with a single Scripture and then guide you through four areas of your life: heart, soul, mind, and strength.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll have space to pray, reflect on Scripture, notice what\u2019s happening inside you, name your priorities, practice gratitude, and pay attention to the body God gave you.<\/strong><\/p>\n And then comes one of my favorite parts.<\/p>\n Each day\u2019s Scripture becomes the jumping-off point for a couple of unique daily prompts that invite you to go a little deeper.<\/p>\n Take a peek!<\/p>\n Let\u2019s give it a try, with the first morning pages of The Every Morning Journal.<\/em><\/p>\n Day One begins with these words from Psalm 5:<\/p>\n \u201cIn the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; Step 1: <\/strong>Before moving into the day\u2019s unique prompts, you\u2019ll have a chance to check in with your Heart and Soul<\/strong>, in the section titled \u201cHeart and Soul.\u201d<\/p>\n In this section, you write a simple morning prayer. Try it now on a piece of paper! Dear God, _____________.<\/em><\/p>\n Step 2: <\/strong>Jot down what stood out to you in the day\u2019s Scripture show above (Psalm 5:3), and how it might guide you.\u00a0<\/p>\n Step 3: <\/strong>Answer this question from the journal, one that I especially love:<\/p>\n What is weighing on your heart \u2013 or lifting it up \u2013this morning?<\/em><\/p>\n I love the or<\/em> in that question, because not every morning is heavy.<\/p>\n Some mornings, something is lifting us up. Something has made us hopeful or excited or grateful. Journaling gives us a place to notice both.<\/p>\n Step 4: <\/strong>You\u2019ll move into the Mind section<\/strong>, where you\u2019ll consider your intention for the day, your top three priorities, and something you\u2019re grateful for. Take a moment to jot down your answers on a piece of paper.<\/p>\n Step 5: <\/strong>You\u2019ll fill out the Strength section of the journal<\/strong> \u2013 where you think about your physical self. Take a moment to answer these questions on paper:\u00a0<\/p>\n How do you actually feel today? Rested? Tired? Energized?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n What would it look like to honor the body God gave you through movement and nourishment?<\/em><\/p>\n Step 6: <\/strong>Only then do we return to the day\u2019s Scripture and go a little deeper. In today\u2019s Scripture above, Psalm 5:3, we are given this beautiful picture of someone bringing requests to God \u2013 and then waiting expectantly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So here are two prompts to consider for Psalm 5:3:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a place in my life where I am waiting for God to move:<\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s how God has met me in a past season of waiting:<\/em><\/p>\n See what we\u2019re doing here? When we are journaling, we are paying attention, remembering, noticing. We are also looking back for evidence of God\u2019s faithfulness.<\/p>\n And tomorrow, the questions on the pages of the journal will be different, something like this:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s practice again, this time with Psalm 118:24<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the day the Lord has made. You\u2019ve probably heard that verse dozens \u2013 maybe hundreds \u2013 of times.<\/p>\n But what happens when we slow down long enough to ask ourselves what gladness actually looks like in our own lives?<\/p>\n After your heart, soul, mind, and strength check-in, consider these two prompts, taken straight from The Every Morning Journal:<\/em><\/p>\n Don\u2019t rush past those questions.<\/p>\n Maybe your answer is a person sitting across the breakfast table, or it\u2019s a place you\u2019ve loved since childhood. Maybe it\u2019s the sound of your grandchildren laughing, or a memory from a vacation, or a walk through the woods just outside the city. Think about a hymn you haven\u2019t heard in years. Does that bring gladness? Or even consider an ordinary weekday afternoon when, for just a moment, everything felt right.<\/p>\n Write it down and linger in the gratitude it brings to your heart.<\/p>\n Having a meaningful journaling practice isn\u2019t simply documenting what happened.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s learning to notice your life while you\u2019re living it.<\/strong><\/p>\n Here are 20 more daily journal prompts you can use first thing in the morning. <\/strong>These prompts aren\u2019t taken from the pages of The Every Morning Journal.<\/em> But they are great questions to help you pay attention to God, to yourself, and to the day ahead.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t worry. You don\u2019t have to answer all 20 before breakfast! Choose one or two that speak to you today, and start there. Then come back tomorrow to answer two more!<\/p>\n Want even more journal prompts? I have a bunch more waiting for you in this article, Morning Journal Prompts: What to Write to Start Your Day with God<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n You may have noticed that the daily journal prompts I shared from The Every Morning Journal<\/em> are organized around four words: heart, soul, mind, and strength.<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s a reason!<\/p>\n The framework comes from an ancient Jewish prayer called the Shema, which begins in Deuteronomy 6 with these words:<\/p>\n \u201cHear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.\u201d For centuries, faithful Jews have recited the Shema as part of their daily prayers, including in the morning.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a cool fact: Jesus knew these words, too. In fact, as a devout Jew, He likely would have prayed those words every morning. We know these words were important to Jesus, because when someone asked Jesus which commandment was the most important, He answered by reaching back to the Shema:<\/p>\n \u201cLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.\u201d Heart. Soul. Mind. Strength.<\/p>\n Those four words became the framework for The Every Morning Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n I wanted our morning ritual to echo the morning ritual of Jesus, helping us begin each day by offering our whole selves to God.\u00a0<\/p>\n Our hearts.<\/p>\n Our souls.<\/p>\n Our minds.<\/p>\n Even our bodies.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the journal gives you space to notice what\u2019s happening in all four areas. We get to love Him with every part of who we are and every part of the day ahead.<\/p>\n If these prompts have been helpful to you, I\u2019d love for you to consider The Every Morning Journal<\/em>.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n I created this journal for people who want to spend meaningful time with God in the morning but don\u2019t always know where to begin \u2013 or what to write once they get there.<\/p>\n Inside the journal, you\u2019ll find:<\/p>\n In other words, you don\u2019t have to come up with the questions. They\u2019re already waiting for you. Yay!<\/strong><\/p>\n My hope is that The Every Morning Journal<\/em> becomes a place where you meet with God, pay attention to what He\u2019s doing in your life, and begin your days with the One who loves you most.<\/p>\n You can learn more about The Every Morning Journal<\/em> and get your copy here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A quick note: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhy Use Daily Journal Prompts in the Morning?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What Should I Write in My Journal Every Morning?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Daily Journal Prompts for Waiting on God<\/strong><\/h2>\n
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.\u201d
\u2013 Psalm 5:3<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nDaily Journal Prompts for Noticing Gladness<\/strong><\/h2>\n
We will rejoice and be glad in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
20 Daily Journal Prompts to Start Your Morning<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Why<\/strong> The Every Morning Journal<\/em><\/strong> Follows the Shema<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2013 Deuteronomy 6:4\u20135<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\u2014 Mark 12:30<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nWant Daily Journal Prompts Waiting for You Every Morning?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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