Prayer Beads 

It is not uncommon for Christians to say, “I will put you on my prayer list.” The list becomes the way in which one person remembers to pray for another. It will be consulted from time to time during the day or week. The person being put on that list is comforted  knowing that the prayer asked for will continue on a regular basis. 

The Prayer Beads used as an aid to prayer by the Blessing Center are another form of a list. A set of movable beads on some string or yarn become the reminders to pray – to pray again – to pray for this one and that as the beads are moved from one end of the strings to another. 

Like other aids to prayer (the candle, the Baby Prayer Blanket, the prayer shawl, the sand box, for example) the prayer beads become more meaningful when the person intending to use them makes the set for themselves. Beads of various kinds are supplied along with suitable threading materials and simple instructions and the person selects those that appeal, the number that seems right, the material on which to thread them – large or small, long or short, and makes their own reminder of prayer. 

One woman was given a set to use if she wanted while she was in ICU recovering from a mild stroke. She told the inquisitive nurse what she had and said; “ I use these to remind me to pray for you and the others who are caring for me. From time to time I move the beads as I pray for each one of you.” The nurse, and others she told, was touched by this demonstration of care from one who might have been thought to be the one asking for prayer rather than praying. 

Some people use the prayer beads to keep track of a prayer they like to pray over and over – like the well known Tranquility prayer or a personal prayer such as “Lord, show me what I yet may be.” Each bead stands for a phrase. 

You are invited to sit with a set of prayer beads and listen to God’s voice leading you to your own use of the beads. They are not magic; there is no set formula. The beads are simply helpful, tactile reminders that in the midst of each moment of life, God is there, welcoming each prayer.