Journaling can lift you to new heights

Eric Daniel Sept. 9, 2025

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Sometimes during my devotional time, I let worship music play softly in the background. It helps set the atmosphere, creating space for quiet reflection and communion with God.

Recently, Phil Wickham's song "Look Where I'm Standing Now" began to play. The lyrics caught me mid-thought:

Out of the wilderness
Into Your deliverance
Look where I'm standing now...
Led by Your mighty hand
Into the promised land
Look where I'm standing now...
These hands that once were chained
Now lifted high in praise…

Almost instantly, the Spirit of God seemed to speak gently to my heart: "Sometimes deliverance feels like a mystery. Journaling will help you capture it."

Immediately, I thought of hiking through a dense forest. The path is narrow, overgrown, and unclear until suddenly it opens to a clearing, a vista point. You exhale deeply, taking in the beauty of your surroundings, and say with amazement, "Look where I'm standing now."

I also recall a family trip to the Grand Canyon. Driving in toward the South Rim, you are surrounded by thick forest with no hint of what's ahead. After parking and walking a short trail, you are at the edge of the world. The vastness opens before you without warning. Had there been no parking lot to slow me down, I might have driven right over the edge.

It makes me wonder what those early explorers thought with no GPS, no aerial view, just the overwhelming surprise of where they found themselves, and no way to cross for miles.

That's what journaling does for your soul. It slows you down. It marks the journey.

What feels like a sudden breakthrough is often the result of faithful, unseen steps over time. Deliverance is rarely instant; journaling can help you see it.

Progress, setbacks, prayers, and quiet miracles are recorded over time. When you journal those steps, the threads of God's faithfulness become visible even though the big picture remains hidden.
Steps for successful journaling:

#1 Create space and consistency
Set aside a specific time each day or week for journaling even if you don't have anything to write. Even 10 minutes can create powerful insight when done consistently.

#2 Start with reflection
Ask yourself, "Where have I seen God today?" or "What has been difficult?" This helps you process both victories and struggles with spiritual perspective. Everything in your journal does not need to be spiritual. Make a record of beauty, nature, and joy.

#3 Use scripture as a guide
Write down a verse that speaks to you and reflect on how it applies to your current season. Scripture anchors your thoughts in truth.

#4 Record progress, not perfection
You don't need polished sentences. Just write honestly. Capture your prayers, fears, questions, and decisions even if they feel incomplete.

#5 Celebrate milestones
Look back monthly or quarterly and mark moments of growth, answered prayers, or divine appointments. These "look where I'm standing now" moments build your faith.

#6 Be honest with God and yourself
Journaling is not about saying the "right" thing. It's about saying the real thing. The vulnerability you bring to the page can be healing and revealing.

#7 Invite the Holy Spirit In
Begin with a prayer: "Holy Spirit, help me see clearly. Teach me as I write." Journaling becomes spiritual formation when you invite God's presence into the process.

Journaling may not change your circumstances, but it will surely change your perspective. It gives language to the hidden work of God and helps you say, with wonder and gratitude: "Look where I'm standing now…these hands that once were chained, now lifted high in praise…"

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Eric Daniel is passionate about empowering others to grow in their Spiritual Leadership. He founded Global Ministry Advance in 2023, a coaching organization, for the purpose of assisting ministers, missionaries and Christian organizations in the development of goals and strategies for greater health. Eric became Senior Pastor of Hillside Church in Napa, CA in 2002, and also serves as an Executive Presbyter for the Northern California and Nevada District Council of the Assemblies of God. Learn More »

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