Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
Prayer beads, sometimes called rosary beads, are used in the practice of meditation and prayer. Prayers are repeated a number of times corresponding with the number of beads. Prayer or rosary beads...
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Lynda Hickman
Supporter
I know that not everyone had a great dad. Some dad's are absent either emotionally or physically. Some are abusive, some are downright horrid. I had a great dad. His work was repairing car bodies back in the day when that was done in "body shop" which was on our property. I always wanted to be near him. From the time I was 6 or 7, after school meant I could sit on a little stool in the shop & talk to him as he worked. As we talked, he taught me about things that he knew, about metal stress, tensile strength, how heat affects different metals....along the way I even learned how to light an acetylene torch, what flux was & why it was used. He was an excellent listener too, & I told him my secrets, my inner most thoughts about myself & about my heart's desires. He never laughed or condemned me, though sometimes he offered reasons that I should rethink my ideas, but always with love. When I became a Christian, I knew I wanted the same sort of relationship with my heavenly Father that I had enjoyed with human dad, one of openness & ease. And I began very early in my walk with Him to practice that relationship. I know there have been times when my prayers were heavy in travail due to the very nature of the prayer. When I was still praying for my husband's health & life, my prayers were much more than simple conversation with my LORD. Other times too, my prayers were filled with deeply felt agony, almost pleading, but never bargaining, certainly never in need of beads or any other extraneous device to help me keep my focus on my LORD or keep count of the number of times I prayed. Always, regardless of the reason for the prayer, my prayers are still like those great talks with my dad in his shop as he worked on putting a damaged car back together. Talks that often were a lot of words from me & ever so few from him. Like our LORD, my dad could say so much with few words. And the one Scripture that always floods my heart & mind, happens to be one of the first verses that I learned as a baby Christian. It is Isaiah 55:11 that reminds us that He said that His Word will not return to Him "void", empty or in vain. My dad loved it when I would use some of his own words in conversation. I think it let him know that I had been paying attention. And likewise, I truly believe that as we pray, when we offer back to the Author, His own words, not as a fist shaking in His face, but letting Him know that we have read & understood His Word, He is pleased & responds. When we have faith & trust in His Word, we know He is paying attention, that He will never ignore or fail us. The words of our prayers are often many, from jumbled thoughts & sometimes in haste, while the LORD's words are often few. But we can trust that He never ignores His own. Holding & counting beads while in prayer may seem to be an innocent thing to do. But in reality, our brain is finite & if it is concentrating on counting beads, prayers or certain words or phrases, it can't be stayed on Him. For our brains to be moving our fingers while counting can only be a hindrance not a benefit. An open Bible, with eyes & minds stayed on His Word, offering back to Him His Word, reminding Him of His promises, not because He has forgotten, but to show Him that we have been paying attention, that is a wonderful way to pray. And throughout the day, just lots of conversation, talking with Him just as you would your own dad, He loves hearing our voices! Our Abba Father (Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6)
Tony Flores
Supporter
As a Christian, I feel that any prayer (for that matter confession of sins) should be directed only to God (father, Son, Holy Spirit). Any other prayer to any other source is making that source equal or more than God. The beads are man made, have no power and are not even mention in the Bible. We as mortals forget that God is all we need. Just remember the first two Commandments.
Doreen Lovell
Supporter
The only christian body using beads in the form of "Rosary" are the Roman Catholics repeating the Hail Mary and Our Father prayer. Then others are Budhist, Hindus, Muslims or Islam, Sikhism and Bahai Faith. As children of God we should not be using prayer beads but should be imitators of Messiah who came to show us the way. He taught us by example how to pray. Secondly the Bible is our blue print in life and there are no records of prayer using beads.
Thomas K M
Supporter
Any outward form of prayer Is not biblical. Repeating prayers and words are also not biblical. Those who are practicing these kind of prayers are offering their prayers as a spiritual discipline and if it is from the bottom of the heart, let them enjoy praying. However, our prayers should as per Matt. 6:5-8 We can pray anywhere, anytime, any length of time. Even a short prayer like 'thank you Jesus' is good enough. When you pray you should be in the spirit realm to enable us to have a clear fellowship and communion with God.
John Matthews
Supporter
To answer this question in the strictest of terms, the use of beads or anything else is not required in order for one's prayer to be heard. According to scripture, nothing is required for prayer. That being said, the Bible doesn't say you can't use something if you're praying. The use of beads, icons or whatever as an aid to prayer is harmless if it brings you closer to Jesus Christ. There are some that need something to look at or hold, to inspire them to a closer understanding of God. Being devout with the use of "things" isn't harmful unless you think that "thing" will produce some sort of magic or if the "thing" is worshipped. If it inspires prayer and praise, hallelujah! If one thinks that the item is the only way to reach God, then they are very wrong. Rosary beads, those used by Roman Catholics, remind the owner to ask Jesus' mother to intercede on the person's behalf. She is the intercessor. It is not biblical because the dead cannot pray on our behalf. Still, in my opinion, using these beads as a tool or visual aid causes no harm if one is not praying to the beads or praying TO Mary. We act as intercessors all the time when we pray for others on their behalf. Preachers and priests ask parishioners to pray on behalf of others every Sunday. Is that wrong? If my friend asks me to pray for them, am I not able to do so? Will God not hear my prayer because I am the intercessor and not Jesus? If a special cross, picture, set of beads, or pieces of clothing like a shawl, veil or hat, give you a feeling of being closer to God, then so be it. It harms no one and gives us yet another way to praise God. Some people have a special place where they can be closer to God, i.e., a prayer room. Is that place any more special than a church or monastery or school bus? Is that place worshipped? Of course not. God is everywhere and hears everything. He alone knows the heart of everyone. If things are used as an aid to become closer to Him, I say use what you need to increase His presence in your life. As always, whether in prayer or not, always give God the glory.
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