Why Prayer Journal
A video and prayer journal entry from January 12th, 2021
Have you ever thought to yourself… “Nobody cares. What’s the point in putting (this piece of content) out there?” I know I have. In fact, I’ve felt that way about this blog a few times… “Is anyone reading? Does anyone care? Is this actually helping anyone?”
That’s probably why I never released this video below back on January 12th, 2021. I doubted myself before posting and therefore never posted it.
As I was preparing this blog post and reflecting on this day, I found it. So, I thought I would share this never before seen video…
The fact that we paid off 100% of our personal debt when our goal was to pay off 50% of our debt was what prompted this video. Prayers (plus some!) were answered. This made me want to share with others the benefits of prayer journaling…
Seeing where God answers prayer (and maybe seeing where He doesn’t, but understanding why).
If you’ve never tried it, I would encourage you to give it a try.
About ten minutes after filming this video, I sat down to write my next prayer journal entry. Here is what it said…
[Re-typed and elaborated for context and clarity…]
Tuesday, January 12th, 2021 8:58a NS4L office
[See Monday, January 11th, 2021 here]
Jesus-
Thank you!! Yesterday was a GREAT day. It was steady. It was smooth. No upset customers. [I’m not sure why “upset customers” was always a fear of mine. I think it comes from this pursuit of trying to make everyone happy all the time, even though I already know I can’t.] A great handful of scooter sales. It was amazing. Thank you for answering that prayer. [Christians pray a lot, but I’ve drawn the conclusion that we rarely stop to go back and say “thank you, Jesus” when prayers are answered. Maintain gratitude. Prayer journaling has helped me with this A LOT.]
Please let today shape up to be the same way. Also, Maddox did not seem to be coughing this morning, so thank you for healing him. Keep him healthy. Keep the entire team healthy. My dad hasn’t been feeling too well since the end of our trip. He went in for a COVID test. I pray that the test is negative and that you heal his sickness too LORD. [It was negative, thank you Jesus.]
LORD- We we’re supposed to interview [a political figure] on the show tonight [WHOA GNV Podcast], but maybe it’s for the best [the person had to cancel last minute]. I did spend time preparing, but I trust that you know when is best. Maybe you felt I wasn’t ready. Maybe it isn’t the right time. I trust you. You guide the show. Bring us great guests. Let it be beneficial for our sponsors. Bring me more sponsors. Help me steward the podcast so it glorifies you. We will try to reschedule the interview with [said political figure], but Jesus, if it is not supposed to happen, keep closing the doors [the interview never happened - at least not yet.] If it is supposed to happen, let the interview happen, and may it help our community and glorify you. [When I started WHOA GNV Podcast, I wanted to build up the community… The business community specifically. Naturally, politics can impact business a lot, so it was easy for the show to gravitate in that direction, especially during COVID times where there was so much unchartered water impacting business.]
Jesus, help me rent out 607 property. [I’m referring to 607 NW 13th Street which is a 2,000 sq ft building on our property next to the scooter shop]. The cash flow would be incredibly helpful as we begin to approach slower seasons. Bring clarity to me in terms of the next steps I should take each day, specifically with NS4L [New Scooters 4 Less]. What’s the next domino? May today be one step closer to the plan you have for my life.
Finally, help me become a stronger father figure. I don’t want my kids to wake up and go straight to video games. I want discipline. Drive. I want goals for them. How can I teach these things to them without being lame-o dad? [Lol. Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt this way!]
Love you.
Collin
Today’s final thoughts
The video and prayer journal entry aren’t really tied together except for the fact that they show answered prayers, but since I created both minutes apart, I thought it would be cool to share them both in this one post.
Prayer journaling is the best way to pray in my opinion because you will actually reflect back and remember what you prayed for. Then, you get to see the results, which leads to gratitude… an opportunity to thank God for answered (or maybe unanswered) prayers.
Trust closed doors. Sometimes when God closes a door, it might lead to disappointment, but trusting His reason and knowing that His plan is better than your own will help you get over it a lot faster.
Don’t beat yourself up. Kids love video games. I spent hours playing GoldenEye 007 with my friends on Nintendo 64 and I turned out ok! Just set time limits and boundaries (and definitely check ratings of specific games). Let your kids catch you spending time with God. That’s the best way to influence them.
I pray you have a week that glorifies Jesus in all that you do! Thank you for reading and sharing this with your friends. It means so much to me.
Collin
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