The connection between spiritual faith and the power of words is impossible to overstate.
From the assertion of John 1:1 that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” through to the revolution heralded by the Gutenberg Bible, faith and words are eternally linked. Writing about your faith can be immensely beneficial for yourself and those who read your writing.
But what if you don’t know where to start? Writing prompts can give you a helping hand to share your religious experience.
It’s natural to feel intimidated any time you are faced with a blank page, no matter your intended topic. When it comes to reflecting on your relationship with faith and God, it can be almost overwhelming to know where to start.
Hopefully, the following 33 spiritual writing prompts will help inspire you.
1 – When was a time you felt a strong sense of God’s presence?
A strong sense of God’s presence brings indescribable levels of comfort, awe, and power. Writing about such a time brings beauty to your life and whoever reads your work.
2 – What does your favorite scripture mean to you?
When we study scripture with an open heart and mind, God communicates the lesson we need at that moment. What personal lessons have you learned from your favorite scripture?
3 – How close do you feel to God right now?
God is always with us even if we don’t always feel his presence. How close do you currently feel to God? How could you feel closer?
4 – What role has God played in your life today?
It’s easy to reflect upon or look ahead to any given day through a worldly lens. Instead, try and think from the perspective of faith. How has God touched your life over the last 24 hours?
5 – What do you believe about God’s nature and how does this impact your life choices?
If you believe you are created in God’s image, what does this mean to you? How does your understanding of the nature of God shape your behavior?
6 – Who could you forgive in your life and how could you make it happen?
Forgiveness and faith go hand in hand. When you reflect sincerely and quietly, who does God want you to forgive? How can you offer them that forgiveness?
7 – What’s your earliest memory of feeling God’s presence?
If faith is a journey, where did your journey begin? When did you first feel the presence of God, and how did it change your life?
8 – Describe a time that prayer profoundly helped you.
Sometimes, we overlook or fail to appreciate the power of prayer. Write about a time that prayer had a profound and helpful impact on your life.
9 – Which people help you feel closer to God?
Of all the people in your life, who helps you feel closer to God? What about them helps you feel that way, and how could you be more like them when interacting with other people?
10 – Which locations give you a sense of closeness to God?
God has blessed us with an abundance of places, both natural and constructed. Which locations give you a sense of being close to the Lord? What is it about these places that make you feel that way?
11 – When have you started to worship the creature (or thing) instead of the Creator, and how did you remedy it?
One of the major tests of the world is the pressure to worship celebrities, money, and status with the same reverence we should feel for God and God only. Write about an occasion when something wrongly pushed God out of your life, and what you did to return things to the way they should be.
12 – Which acts of service give you the greatest feeling of faith?
We are all blessed with different strengths and talents that allow us to serve in a multitude of ways. Which acts of service do the most to boost your faith, and why do you think that is?
13 – Where would you most like to grow spiritually?
Your relationship with faith and God is capable of immense growth if nurtured carefully. Which area of your life would most benefit from spiritual growth, and how do you intend to nurture this area?
14 – When you look back at your life, where can you identify a blessing in disguise?
At times, we may feel bad about the direction our life is taking, or fail to perceive why God has placed us in a particular situation. Write about such a time and how you eventually came to understand it as a blessing in disguise.
15 – What in your life currently distracts you from God, and how can you remove that distraction?
The world is full of distractions and obstacles that divert our attention away from God. When you reflect with a fearless level of honesty on your own life, what is most distracting you from God, and how can you do better?
16 – Which beliefs do you hold about the afterlife that impact your day-to-day decisions?
One of the major differences between a person of faith and one who lacks it is the belief that our death in this life is not the end. What beliefs do you hold about the afterlife, and how do they impact your everyday life?
17 – Which stories of people from scripture inspire your life, and how?
Scripture is such an invaluable guide to our life as it features stories of people we can relate to that inform our faith-based journey through life. Which human stories from scripture do you draw inspiration from, and how do you apply them?
18 – What are some of the blessings of God’s natural world most meaningful to your life?
Many believers have a strong sense of God due to the beauty of the natural world and the abundant blessings it contains. Which aspects of nature cause you to feel especially grateful to God?
19 – What is something you currently fear, and how can God help you remove that fear?
As believers, we should fear only God, but it’s easy to become fearful of this world and the evil it contains. What do you fear in this world? How can you take steps to overcome that fear?
20 – When have you achieved something seemingly impossible with the help of God?
The society we live in, and the people that inhabit it, often tell us that we are not capable of certain things. God tells us that all things are possible. Write about a time in your life that God helped you to achieve something incredible.
21 – If you had to choose a single word that feels most descriptive of your current relationship with faith, what would it be? Why?
When you reflect upon your current level of faith, and where you are in your spiritual journey, which single world offers the best description? Feel free to consider and write about several different words until you reach the one that feels right.
22 – Are there any parts of your faith practice that feel like you’re going through the motions? How can you improve that situation?
We all run the risk of allowing our spiritual practices, prayers, and scriptural study to become routine and lacking in meaning and impact. Write about any area of your own belief that feels this way, and what you can do to overcome it.
23 – Do you know of anyone experiencing a faith challenge you’ve faced in the past? How can you best help them?
One of the best things about being part of a community of believers is being able to draw guidance and empathy from other people. Think about a challenge you’ve overcome in your own faith journey, and then think of a person going through something similar you could offer support and help to.
24 – When the time comes for your funeral, what’s the one thing you wish people will be able to say about you that isn’t true today?
Although we don’t know exactly when we will take our last breath in this world, we know that moment will surely arrive for each of us. Imagine someone delivering your eulogy, or a printed version of your obituary. What do you wish will be said that isn’t true today?
25 – How can you make prayer more open and honest?
Even though God already knows our hearts and minds far better than we ever could, we sometimes fall into the trap of being guarded when we pray. Write about any times or topics where you could open up to God more fully, and reflect upon why this is challenging for you.
26 – What is something out of your control you should fully surrender to God?
Despite the fact that we should trust in God with all of our hearts, we sometimes hold on to worries and stress about things out of our control or even our influence. Which areas of your life is this true for? How can you better turn your troubles over to God’s infinite power?
27 – Which festivals or events associated with faith do you feel you observe in a misguided way? How could you remedy this?
Any occasion associated with faith, whether a major festival or a weekly act of worship, can be led astray by an inappropriate focus on its worldly aspects. Write about times when you focus on the material rather than spiritual aspects of an event and how this issue can be overcome.
28 – What is the smallest or easiest step to draw closer to God you could take?
Small acts of faith can have a big impact on how close we feel to God. What’s the smallest or easiest thing that brings you closer to God? Write and reflect on the power of small acts such as taking five seconds to feel gratitude or reading a single line of scripture.
29 – How can you better love your neighbor as yourself?
When we’re not careful about guarding against it, we run the risk of becoming selfish and failing to practice our faith by loving our neighbor in the way we do ourselves. Be radically honest about how this is true for you and how you could improve.
30 – What’s a subtle or less than obvious blessing in your life you’re grateful for?
Some things in life are easy to feel a sense of awe and gratitude towards God for, like a beautiful sunset or the birth of a child. What’s something smaller or overlooked in your life that is a sign of God’s love and mercy for you?
31 – Which art or media has been most impactful in your faith life, and who could you share it with?
We are blessed with so many ways to experience God in our lives, including beautiful music, powerful films, and faith-based writing. Write about an example that has made a big difference to your life, and how and who you could better share it with.
32 – Which of your God-given talents do you wish to use to greater effect? Why?
God has given each and every person on our planet talents and abilities that allow them to serve in a unique and special way. Write about a talent you’re blessed with that helps you to serve and reflect upon ways you could better use it.
33 – If you had to write a faith book over the next year, what would it contain, who would it help, and why?
Every single believer is walking a unique path on their journey through faith. That includes you. The experience you are having, and the lessons you are learning, are worth sharing. One of the best ways to share your truth is to write a faith-based book. All you need is whatever device you’re reading this article on.
If you absolutely had to write a book about faith over the next year, what would it cover? Who would you most desire to help? Do you believe that the very act of writing a faith-based book could change the lives of the people around you? If your book helped even one other person on their spiritual journey, would that be worthwhile to you?
Take a moment. Pray. Ask God if you should write a book about your faith.
If you feel a calling in your heart to write such a book, do not ignore it! Start thinking about the immense power such a book could have on your own life as well as the lives of loved ones and strangers alike. Think about the legacy you would leave long after you’ve taken your last breath.
When you’re ready to explore how to begin writing a book about your faith, we’re ready to help you along the way. Let’s make it happen!