I made it through week one, friends:Â Week one of a pandemic in our country. Of social distancing. Of everyday life being quickly and drastically turned upside down.
Is anyone else out there reeling?
I’ve seen my share of humorous Facebook posts and memes, featuring everything from ridiculous antics of bored kids to jokes about the shortage of toilet paper. There’s a blessed relief in laughter about these strange circumstances. And despite the challenges of having my whole family at home all day, we’ve shared many moments of genuine joy and goofiness in the past seven days.
But then.
Then my kids ask “How long do you think we’ll have to do this distancing thing?” Then I read the news updates about closing businesses, crashing markets, and soaring numbers of people sick. Then I endure the tenth interruption to my “work time” as I try to balance my job with caring for my kids.
In these and countless other moments, knots of frustration and worry start tightening in my heart. Â My patience stretches thin. And all the many questions I have about the future make constant background noise in my mind. Â The future is uncertain and the anxiety is real.Â
These days, I’m finding that my usual “quiet time” routines have been upended too. My mind doesn’t seem to have the bandwidth for in-depth Bible study or large passages of Scripture. Â It’s hard to focus on prayer when there are so many other thoughts whirling about my mind. Honestly? Â I’m finding that all I can seem to absorb right now is a verse or two at a time. Â Even then, it’s a very real battle to stay connected to God’s encouragement during the topsy-turvy reality of this “new normal.”
I know I’m not alone in this struggle. Â With so many unanswered questions before us, anxieties about the future plague us all.
Now, more than ever, we need to remember God’s promises, friends. Â We need to let His Words fill our minds, rather than all the worries that can so easily take control of our thoughts.
We need to remember that He’s present with us, right here in our whirlwind days.
For everyone struggling with uncertainty and anxiety right now, I’d like to offer a simple prayer journal you can use for the days ahead. Â It’s nothing in-depth or fancy. Â Just a little space to call a “time out” on all the distractions of our world right now and have a heart-to-heart with God. Â I filled it with the things that are helping me find some stability in the mist of this storm:
- space to write a Bible verse (Because the act of writing helps my scattered brain focus right now)
- space to write down my fear/frustrations (Because naming them helps me hand them over to God)
- a reminder to think of others (Because it gets my mind off my fears, and helps me remember that we’re all in this together)
- a reminder to be thankful (Because God still gives so many small pleasures and blessings every day)
These are the simple practices that are helping me pull my thoughts away from my fear and toward my faith.
I can’t eliminate viruses, restore financial losses, or erase the real challenges we face. Â But I hope this little journal gives you what you’ll need to persevere through the storm. Â And I hope it encourages you to see the things that are unchanging, even when everything around us seems to unravel: God’s still holding you close. He’s still speaking. Â And he’s still working through it all, Â molding you into everything you were meant to be.
(To grab the free printable Prayer Journal, just click on the blue button below.)
(Downloads are only available to More Like Grace subscribers: By clicking the download button below, you consent to OPT-IN to our email newsletter with monthly encouragement and freebie news. Unsubscribe any time.)
Use these free printable Scripture cards as bookmarks, Bible memory work, encouragement for a friend . . .  well, you get the idea. 
16 comments
Susan Robinson
Thank you for your encouraging words and beautiful free printable.
In these difficult times it is a blessing to know God’s love is also pandemic.
Leslie
This is a wonderful resource right now. I work in a small Christian school as a math teacher and Guidance Counselor and am wondering if I might share it with parents and students?
amyjoyAuthor
Absolutely! Feel free to share. 🙂
Leslie
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
anita
Thank you for this prayer journal.i just printed it and look forward to using it.
Patti Gardner
This is beautiful! Thank you so much.
Carole
Thank you. This is perfect.
Victoria
Thank you for this beautiful prayer journal! I look forward to sharing with a few sisters in Christ. It will encourage us greatly.
Marilynn Willlams
Can’t wait to share these with my neighbors. Something new for each week.
amyjoyAuthor
I love that you’re sharing God’s encouragement with neighbors. So cool! Hope you’re staying healthy. 🙂
Monika
Thank you, it looks so amazing!
Melody
I have absolutely LOVED this!! It has been amazing. I have just finished it and am wondering if you have another one with a similar format? Thanks! Melody
amyjoyAuthor
I’m so glad you enjoyed the journal. Sounds like the Spirit showed up in a beautiful way as you created space for God! 🙂 I don’t have a journal that’s exactly the same (although after getting so much great feedback about this one, I’m certainly thinking about putting together another one!). But if you haven’t done it already, you might like my “Promises of God” journal. It’s a little different format, but you can check that out here: https://new.morelikegrace.com/free-printable-prayer-journal-promises/
hev scorah
Hi Amy,
this has been such a blessing to me and others in our church. Any chance there may be some days to come. I will so sad it is finished! Thank you somuch though for producing it, God has really blessed me through it. xx
amyjoyAuthor
I’m so glad you found the journal helpful! I’ve heard lots of positive feedback, so I’m definitely thinking about putting out something similar in the days ahead. (Just have to find time for more creative time here when my kids are also doing schooling here and my husband’s working from home: My productivity is not quite what it used to be!) If you haven’t done it already, you might like my “Promises of God” journal. It’s a little different format, but you can check that out here: https://new.morelikegrace.com/free-printable-prayer-journal-promises/ Take care!
eleanor mccleary
Thank you for the beautiful journal – have just printed it and look forward to using it.
Ellie