“The Lord gave me this answer: ‘Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance.’” Habakkuk 2:2 (GNT)

Part of learning to hear God speak—and remembering what he says—is writing it down. This is the spiritual habit of journaling, and it’s a great one for followers of Jesus to understand and practice.

A journal is not a diary. A diary is about the things you did. But a journal contains your prayers to God and the lessons you’ve learned—the mistakes you’ve made and what he has taught you through them. It’s a written record of your journey with God.

One way to journal is to write God’s responses to your questions. As you read the Bible, write down the questions that come to your mind. Then record the things God reveals to you.

Habakkuk did that when he wanted to hear God speak. In the book of Habakkuk, the Lord said, “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance” (Habakkuk 2:2 GNT). That’s how we got the book of Habakkuk. In chapter one, Habakkuk wrote down what he said to God. And in chapter two, he wrote down what God said back to him.

That’s also how we got the book of Psalms. Many of the psalms were written by David during his quiet moments with God. In some, he begins with what he’s feeling and ends with what God says.

Another way to journal is to write down your prayers. When you write them down, it preserves a spiritual legacy for your children and grandchildren. Imagine the influence you can have for generations to come if you keep a spiritual journal. The Bible says, “Write these things for the future so that people who are not yet born will praise the LORD” (Psalm 102:18 NCV).

Writing down your prayers also gives you the opportunity to record God’s answers when they come. A man in our church once told me about a time when he was unemployed for a year. He said that it was horrendous and scary, full of fear and anxiety. But during that time, he kept a daily journal of everything that happened and the lessons he learned along the way.

Almost a decade later, he was laid off again. He told me, “Instead of having to go back through all those lessons and all that anxiety again, I just read what I had written nine years earlier. I didn’t have to walk through all that pain again. I remembered how God had taken care of me. I could see how he had led me through that entire year.” 

If you don’t write down what you’re learning, you’re going to forget. The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory—so write it down! And build a record of God’s care that you can return to again and again.