Robert Indiana kept a series of illustrated journals during the late 1950s and 1960s, in which he discusses the development of his work as well as his daily life on Coenties Slip.

Indiana's journal entry for July 28, 1961, includes a sketch of God Is a Lily of the Valley. Indiana records that he worked very hard to get his paintings in viewable condition, as he was expecting gallerist Allan Stone to stop by that afternoon, however Stone called and moved the appointment until the following day. He expresses frustration, but writes that it did give him the opportunity to finish the cartoon for God Is a Lily of the Valley, and apply the first coat of green paint.