Spiritual Practice of the Week

Prayer beads

You may be familiar with the Roman Catholic rosary, Buddhist mala prayer beads, or the knotted prayer ropes from the Orthodox tradition. Prayer beads are a tangible way to aid the focus of your prayers, something to keep you “in touch” as you pray. They can also act as a reminder to put prayer into your day.

In this practice, you will create your own set of prayer beads. You may wish to wear the prayer beads on your wrist or neck and hold them in your hand when you are praying. You may wish to carry them around with you during your day, or sleep with them under your pillow. Praying with your beads may be the last thing you do before you go to sleep, or the first thing you do on waking.

Purchase a variety of beads, along with cord or elastic to string the beads on, from a bead or craft store. You may wish to take your youth group members along and have them choose their own beads. The number of beads you will need will depend on bead size and length of bracelet or necklace.

Have youth choose beads from each of the categories below so that when they use their beads their prayers will include many diverse aspects of prayer and life. It would be good to create a colour guide on what the prayer for each colour is for them to take home, so that the meanings can be more fully integrated into the practice. You may wish to pray together using the beads following the time of creating the prayer beads.

Prayer Bead Colours and Prayers...

Red: Passion, love of God, love of self, love of others

Pray for those you love and those who love you.

Pray that the things you are passionate about will enter into your life fully.

Yellow: Happiness, optimism, joy, gratitude

Give thanks for all that brings you joy and happiness, and all the blessings in your life.

Orange: creativity, wellness, openness to possibility

Ask that new possibilities enter your life.

Focus on your personal health and what your body needs, and ask for it.

Green: New life, resurrection, growth, abundance

Give thanks for your life and all you have been given.

Ask that places of new growth be revealed to you.

Purple: Oneness with God, Jesus is here

Pray for the presence of God to be revealed in your life.

Pray for the power of Jesus’ message to be part of your story.

Blue: fluidity, calmness, clarity

Breath deeply in and out, feel the calm and fluid presence of your breath.

Focus on the deep breath of God in your life.

White: purity, your identity in truth

Ask for forgiveness for times you haven’t spoken the truth or acted unskillfully

Ask for your heart to be pure.

Black: Dark times in life, balance, troubled heart.

Ask God to open you heart to the joy and pain of living.

Offer prayers for healing the dark places in your life.

Ask for balance; ask to learn all you need from the darkness and from the light.

© This prayer practice and all of those on the Sunday Morning Blog Post can be found in:  "Go Deep: Spiritual Practices for Youth Ministry" Wood Lake Publishing
Doris is the Youth Director for the United Church of Canada in BC.