Use Prayer Beads:
- Pick four different colors to represent four different types of prayers. One color for gratitude, another for self, another for others and a fourth for the world/nation. Pick a number between one and ten and put that number of beads on your string, for instance four each for the four types of prayer. Then place a larger different type of bead between the colors to divide them.
- There is not particular anything with regard to the prayer beads, they are simply a physical point of focus that does help keep your mind from wandering – it will, but you have something in your hands to bring you back.
- Write whatever or whoever you are praying for on a piece of paper and place that under the candle.
- Light a candle and send a picture of the candle to the person you are praying for with the message, “ This candle is a prayer for you. Thinking of you and sending you love.”
- When you have something very specific to pray for, say the prayer out loud and then light the candle, saying “ God, this candle is my prayer for ______.” When you blow the candle out, say, “ Lord, hear my prayer.”
- Fill an Easter basket with open (unassembled) plastic eggs. Encourage your family members to write their prayers on slips of paper and close them inside the eggs, pictures work just fine. When the basket is full, take time together, open the eggs and read the prayers. If it is still early enough in Lent, you might do this twice before Easter.
- There are several more ideas in Faithful Families which might suit you better. If you would like a copy there are several in my mailbox that you are welcome to.
Richard Rohr on prayer:
Spirituality is about being ready. All the spiritual disciplines of your life – prayer, study, meditation or ritual, religious vows – are there so you can break through to the eternal. Spirituality is about awakening the eyes, the ears, the heart so you can see what’s always happening right in front of you.
Prayer is sitting in silence until it silences us, choosing gratitude until we are grateful, and praising God until we ourselves are an act of praise.
Mature prayer always breaks into gratitude.
Sometimes we pray with other people, like when we pray before dinner and when we pray at church. Sometimes our prayers are songs. Sometimes we ask God for things, sometimes we thank God for things. And sometimes we just tell God how we feel. The main thing is that we know that God is there and that God listens. We should also know that God answers prayers. It is not always in the way we hope for or expect and sometimes in ways we aren’t aware of for a long, long time. But always in the way that is best for us.
