DIY Prayer Board

My word for the year is focus. I wanted to focus on one area of my life each month and learn something new or improve in that area.

For January, I focused on my prayer life.

Prayer for me has always been an important part of my spiritual life. It’s brought me comfort, peace, and encouragement in seasons of need and sorrow. It’s also been a source of joy when I take time to meditate on gratitude and answered prayer.

This was a key verse for me while working on this month’s focus on prayer:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Colossians 4:2 (NIV)

This month, I wanted to create a way to record my prayers and the answers to those prayers. Also, I wanted to be more consistent in praying for friends and family.

There are a multitude of ideas for focused prayer, such as prayer notebooks, gratitude journals, prayer boxes, and prayer rooms.

One idea pulled at the creative side of me:

A prayer board.

Now, where to start?

Here’s what I did to set up my prayer board!

1. I picked a location

   My prayer board didn’t need to be anywhere fancy, just a focused area where I could take time for prayer and solitude. I chose our bathroom/closet combo. It’s secluded from the rest of the house and there’s a place to sit that’s insulated from noise. It’s also the first place I go when I wake up in the morning and the last place I visit before I go to bed. After I measured my space, I was ready to pick my board.

2. Choosing a Board

   There were many options—cork boards, whiteboards, ribbon boards, and magnetic boards. I went with a corkboard. Since my prayer board will be around humidity, I didn’t want to risk having the board wiped away in the steam. Also, I wanted something tangible to collect throughout the year, so using 3×5 cards was a good option for me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

3. I gave my board a sense of place

   If you’re a writer, you understand sense of place. It’s a way to point a reader to the setting. I wanted a pleasant focal point to remind me to take a moment during my busy day to pause and be still. I found a plaque with a bible verse to hang above my board.

4. I gathered my supplies

   My supplies included:

   A large corkboard

   A decorative plaque                                                                   

   Washi Tape to divide my categories

   3×5 cards, I chose different colors for each category

   Push pins

   Photo box, to keep my cards throughout the year

   Pens

5. Organize my board

   I divided my prayer board into family, personal, friends and acquaintances, and the world.

   I’d thought about adding a gratitude section but decided to use a separate gratitude journal for that.                                                   

6. Look for the answers!

   I may not always understand how God is working, but I’m confident that God hears my prayers.

   This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

   1 John 5:14 (NIV)

   Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

   Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV)

What is prayer? Prayer is simply talking to God.

God longs to hear from us and waits expectantly to hear from us at all hours of the day.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

Prayer doesn’t need to be formal, but when I was younger, I was taught the A.C.T.S. prayer outline and it’s stuck with me ever since.

A.C.T.S. Method for Prayer

A. Adoration

Remember who God is!

C. Confession

Confession of sin.

T. Thanksgiving

Reflect on God’s blessings in my life and others’ lives.

S. Supplication

Praying for my needs and others’ needs.

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:6 (NIV)

I’m looking forward to seeing how my prayer board helps me maintain focus in my prayer life this year!

Have you thought of making a prayer board?

If so, check out this link below to see my Pinterest Board for more prayer board ideas.