Throughout
the ages prayer beads have been used to help focus thoughts during prayer. The most commonly used is the Catholic
Rosary, although there are Protestant and other ecumenical prayer bead
sets. Most prayer beads, however, assign
a phrase or proscribed prayer for each bead.
The user is to memorize this phrase and repeat it every time the prayer
beads are used. This Prayer Bracelet is
different. Each bead represents a topic
on which to meditate and pray. Each
prayer will be unique. It is my hope,
that this Prayer Bracelet will help you to focus your thoughts and bring you
closer to God through an enriched prayer life. Using wooden beads, semi-precious or ceramic beads large beads, smaller filler beads and stretchy cord, fashion a prayer bracelet in the format shown below. Figure out what size you need to make your bracelet and layout the design first. Once you have a group of beads evenly spaced out and filler beads placed between each of the larger beads, join the two ends by tying them together and adding a dot of glue. I recommend E6000. If you use wooden beads with large holes, you can hide the knot and glue inside the hole of the wooden bead. Please read the symbolism below before you shop for supplies so that you can get an idea of what you might want for your prayer bracelet. I'll try to get some pictures posted over the next few weeks so you can see examples.
·
Wooden Bead
o
Symbolizes the
Cross on which Christ died for our sins and offers our salvation.
o
Is the beginning
of the prayer and the end, as God is Alpha and Omega, beginning and end.
·
Beads 1 through 5
o
Semi-precious
stones or ceramic beads to remind us to stay grounded.
o
A tribute to this
marvelous creation by God that we call earth and a reminder that we are to be
good stewards of the Earth and its resources.
·
Spaces between large beads
o
Reminds us to
pause and be still so that we may hear God’s voice speaking to us.
·
Circular
o
Symbolizes the
circle of life.
o
Reminds us that we
are all interconnected through Christ.
·
Stretchy
o
Reminds us to
remain flexible so that we are able to answer God’s call when it comes to us.
·
Usage
o
Begin at the
wooden bead recognize its symbolism and ask God to open your mind and heart so
that you might hear God’s instructions.
o
Pause and be still
for a few seconds or as long as feels appropriate for you.
o
Bead 1 – Give thanks
for the things that have happened to you that day. This helps us to be on the lookout for the
positive things in our lives every day.
o
Pause
o
Bead 2 – Pray for
the Church. Your individual church, your
denomination and the body of Christ as a whole.
o
Pause
o
Bead 3 – Ask
forgiveness for things that you have done whether consciously or unconsciously
throughout that day that were not pleasing to God. Ask to be given wisdom to
learn from those times. Forgive yourself
for not being perfect. Ask God to help you forgive others.
o
Pause
o
Bead 4 – Lift up
those people who are on your prayer list.
o
Pause
o
Bead 5 – Pray for
the things that you need in your life to become better Christians. This could be health, direction in career,
financial peace or emotional needs. Pray
for strength, peace and guidance.
o
Pause
o
Back to the wooden
bead – rededicate your life to Christ and offer yourself as a tool for God to
use for His glory.
o
Amen
Copyright 2008, Shirley Ostrander
Copyright 2008, Shirley Ostrander
Love this idea. And well done on taking up the NaBloPoMo challenge. I am thinking children's talk as I love to incorporate crafts into those.
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