“These commandments...are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children...Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, 9)

I found one of my old prayer journals the other day. It helped me revisit personal meditations on God’s Word, spiritual musings, and prayers. It was interesting and encouraging to read about how God was working in my life a few years ago. I noted how He had answered various prayers, usually in far different ways than I had envisioned.

It’s so easy to get involved in today’s problems and challenges and, perhaps, to wonder if God is ever going to answer our prayers. Reading the journal encouraged my faith on a day when I was feeling discouraged. It was like storing a $100 bill away and finding it years later just when I needed it.

It’s good to look back to see what God has done, what He has taught us. It reminds us that the Christian life is a process of growth. Writing our thoughts in a journal as we pray and study God’s Word helps us focus on what God is doing, and it may encourage someone’s faith years from now—even our own! “I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:12).