Tools for Prayer: Protestant Prayer Beads (Part II)

Bead prayers have been so much a part of the history of Christian prayer that even the word “bead” derives from “bede,” an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “prayer.” The age of Calvinism led to an abandonment of bead praying for most Protestants, but the practice is regaining popularity.

The following bead prayer is taken from a set of prayers organized around the appointed Scripture readings for the church year as given in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. Anglican prayer beads like these consist of a cross and 33 beads—31 beads forming a circle and one large bead and a cross outside that circle.  The smaller beads are arranged in groups of 7, called weeks, and four larger beads, called cruciform beads because they form an invisible cross. The four cruciform beads separate these weeks. Directly above the cross is the invitatory bead, which serves as a call to worship as you enter the beads’ prayer circle.

To pray with beads, you start at the cross, holding it in your hand and acknowledging God’s presence. Then you move on the invitatory bead, followed by the first cruciform bead, and them the first set of weeks. On the weeks beads, you will pray the same verse repetitively. It is in the reciting of the weeks that many people grow uneasy, recalling Christ’s warning about prayers that contain vain repetitions. (Matt. 6:7.) For those who pray with beads, however, the problem is not in the repetition but in the vain, or useless, repetition. “The first thing to remember is that God is not impressed by marathon mumbling. But praying with beads in a deliberate and meditative way invites the kind of focused, intentional praying that God honors. The practice of using beads illuminates the fundamental truth that prayer cannot be rushed…Similarly, reading and truly absorbing Scripture takes time…Praying these verses from bead to bead can make us newly aware of their meaning.” (Praying with Beads, p.xii-xiii.)

After praying through the weeks, you leave the circle, praying the last cruciform bead, then reciting the Lord’s prayer as you leave the bead circle and the closing prayer as you hold the cross once more. Feel free to tailor the prayers to your own sense of divine leading. For instance, you may wish to pray for various people with each bead as you pray the weeks. Or you may focus on a different word or image in the verse through each week of the circle.

As we close a week of focusing on mindfulness, a look at bead-praying is appropriate, for in is in the mindfulness that a person is able to steep in the language of a repeated prayer or verse. But the benefits of the focus and the simplicity are great!

 



Tools for Prayer: Protestant Prayer Beads (Part I)

Most people in the Christian faith are familiar with the Catholic rosary beads but are not necessarily aware of their Protestant counterpart. In a later post, we will look at the functional aspects of using such a prayer tool, but today we'll just do an introductory exploration of prayer beads.

"Many different religions use beads as a tool for prayer, and Catholics have a rosary. Consider creating a chain of beads that you can use as a physical tool as you pray throughout the day. Prayer beads aren't magic, but they can help cure some minor cases of ADD. For instance, create a chain of different-sized beads (or different-colored or different textured beads) for various prayers. You might have a large bead for the Lord's Prayer. You might have seven rough beads for praying against the seven deadly sins...and nine...for the fruit of the Spirit." --Common Prayer A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

Almost any craft or hobby store has started kits for the novice in beadwork, and many also have a variety of beads from which to choose, so you can thoughtfully personalize your set of prayer beads.
I use mine for a variety of prayer practices: to pray the Psalms as they are given in the book, Praying with Beads; to lift prayers for spiritual direction clients and fellow members of my directors cohort; and currently, I am considering crafting the precepts of my ministry into bead prayer form.

What is the point of using beads for these prayers?

For one thing, the tactile element helps keep the focus on the prayer. For another, the repetitiveness of some prayers--like the ones from the Psalms--helps the one praying to go deeply into a verse, more so than a simple glancing read  provides. To turn a passage into a prayer, the multiple readings offer opportunities to transform the text into a prayer of the heart. What's more, when praying over a list of people or needs, touching each bead individually requires a pause, a singular focus on that one part in the series--something easily missed when prayer involves reciting alone. It is not so for everyone, but for those of us who are distractible, prayer beads can be a beneficial tool.

A prayer rope is a similar way of employing this sort of prayer aid, and if your inclination toward a creative practice includes handwork, here is a nice tutorial for creating your own prayer rope.






Claiborne, Shane. Common Prayer A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,  2010.