In this post, we are going to learn about Visual Prayer and how doodling your prayers can be an effective and fun method for consistent and meaningful quite times.
I had great plans for August to get back to school and really hone in on our sketchnoting skills, but as I was working on that, I felt the Lord direct us to focus on prayer this month instead. I have peoples in my life that have serious needs and I don’t think that I can pray enough for them; praying visually is an effective method for me and I know you will benefit from it as well.
A good prayer life is like a good financial plan; easy to follow and easy to share – Valerie Matyas
If you have ever struggled with the basic act of praying and staying focused? You’ve come to the right place. This is something that I have struggled with for years, and finding a way to be visual in my faith has really helped me be more focused and consistent.
The process of being visual in our faith really helps get both sides of our brains working together resulting in a more effective time of prayer and time with the Lord. Looking back through the history of the church, a visual element has been present. We can look at the stained glass in the sanctuaries and the various icons and images that help us grow deeper in our faith. Just the image of the cross itself is a powerful reminder of what Christ did for us.
The Process for Visual Prayers
- The first thing we need to do is pause. We need to take a few minutes out to stop and reflect and share our burdens with the Lord. Psalms 46:10 says. Be Still and know that I am God. In the crazy-busy schedule that we all tend to keep these days, this is often not an easy thing to do. Praying silently can often lead us to become distracted and our mind can wander.
- Doing something with a pen and making something visual helps us focus on the task. Being visual or doodling will help us stay in the moment. Focus will help us hear what the Lord has to say to us. Setting aside some specific time will help remove distractions and stay focused.
- Creating a visual reminder will help remember what our prayers are and over time we can note on the back how God answered all those prayers. God wants us to remember His faithfulness.
The Secret Prayer Code
SUPPLIES: – a grid index card or graph paper, pen or pencil
This card is a great place to start our visual prayers. To start just start writing your prayers by writing one letter in each box. Do not use any spaces or punctuation. When you get to the end of a row just wrap the word around to the next row and keep writing. Try setting a time for 5 or even 10 minutes. You’ll be amazed and how this process slows you down and helps you stay more focused on your prayers.
This is a great technique to use when you are feeling anxious. Getting it all out on paper and to taking your anxious thoughts directly to the Lord is the most effective way to manage all the stress. Ps. 138:8 says that, “The Lord will accomplish what concerns us.”
Upcoming Visual Prayers
Over the next several weeks we will look at different types of prayer cards and ways to keep and manage your prayer cards.
Visual Prayer Resources
Praying in Color by Sybil McBeth. It’s a great book with lots of ideas on visual prayer. I really hope to meet Sybil and hear her speak one day!
My book Prayer Patterns is available in my Etsy shop. It’s on sale for $8 during the month of August. The book is chock-ful of ideas on prayer journal pages, ways to pray and how to host a prayer meeting.
Visual Prayers at Visual Faith Ministries
This post would not be complete without sharing about Visual Faith Ministries. It was started by Connie Denninger and Pat Meier. They have put together a ton of resources to your visual faith walk. There are examples of other prayer cards here and they also have a lot of projects that you will love. I am a visual faith coach with Visual Faith Ministries. I love presenting for them. Be sure to check out and follow Visual Faith Ministries or @visualfaithministry on Instagram or on Pinterest.
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