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The Thin Place

Why I Use Prayer Beads (Despite Being Protestant)

Despite the fact that Christ Himself gave us a way to pray, much of my prayer life has historically been organized about carefully avoiding sounding too formal. Stuffy, pre-written prayers were for those who weren’t genuine, Spirit-filled believers. The Holy Spirit had equipped me to pray real prayers.

Flash-forward a few years and several (thousand) humbling experiences and my attitude towards prayer, towards worships as a whole, has quite changed. I am less certain of my certainties, my wisdom, my contribution to my worship but I am ever more convinced of the mercy of God upon my life.

I have shared before about my struggle with depression and my heart for liturgical worship. In His ever-faithful way, He reached into my life in my moments of pain and has shown me that, even when my heart fails, He will sustain my worship.

He broke down my walls, my pharisaical prayers of lengthy, flowery words from my heart, and has shown me that prayer is not as much about sharing my heart as it is about centering it.

2 Corinthians 10 implores us to, “take captive every thought,” but instead of calling my thoughts to Christ, much of my prayer life revolved around calling Christ to my problems. Despite my efforts, prayers pour forth from my lips in the form of, “God if you just___. Why can’t you____. I need You to _____.” I seemed to have the God of creation confused with some pathetic sort of personal Santa Clause. Sure, my prayers ended with an obligatory, “Thy will be done,” or an, “Align my heart with Yours,” but if you read my prayers, one after the other, in a book, there parallels between them and the letters I wrote to Santa as a child would be painfully, eerily obvious.

While I am all in favor of childlike faith, I can safely say this was childlike selfishness.

Liturgical worship had called back to the heart of the Father and reminded me that worship is not about me, it’s about Him.

On Sunday mornings, my heart often felt beaten and bruised. I had nothing to offer up but an empty vessel. But I could indeed offer it up to be used by Him to bring glory to the King.

I started searching Scripture and the words of the psalms often became my prayers. I realized that there was a proper and an improper way to pour my heart out before the Lord and that it involved keeping my thoughts in line with who He is and what He does. Worship should be at the heart of the Christian life, not petitions. My priorities in prayer had become disordered and I wanted to find a way to help reorder.

That’s when I came across the idea of Protestant prayer beads.

Previously, I had ascribed prayer beans into the category of something mystic or unfelt. I imagined pre-written prayers as something that couldn’t speak the heart even while pour over poetry that I felt spoke to the true heart of “secular” emotions. But the psalms were prayers and they expressed my heart. The Valley of Vision and other traditional prayers, they spoke to my heart.

So I searched online and I found a little Etsy shop and order a set of DIY prayers beads.

They were beautiful.

I prayed as I assembled them that God would melt my selfish heart and remind me of His majesty.

The beads are broken into 4 sections of 7, the number of completion. Each section focuses around a different elements of prayer. There’s a time to praise and express thanks. There’s a time to present petitions at the feet of the Father and time to confession your sin and remember His grace.

This tool has guided me towards balance in my prayer life.

It is not a fix all. It’s probably not for everyone. But I’m so grateful for the way it’s pushed me to honor God in my prayer life. It’s given me focus and words and a platform when my heart is empty. It reminds me that He is the one who began the good work and that He, not I, will be the one to complete it.

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The Comments

  • Marissa Writes
    June 26, 2017

    Bailey – I love how honest you are in this. Prayer is more fluid than we often think… as we grow in our relationship with God, He opens more of our eyes, removes more of the veil that blinds us, and allows us to go deeper into our ability to pray, to connect with Him, to share, to feel… and I think it’s marvelous that you have found a tool that helps you to focus and pull away from the world and really center in on Him. Love it!

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Marissa Writes
      June 26, 2017

      He is so faithful to draw us to what we need for the season we need it. I’m so grateful for the rich history of our faith and the tools that Christians before us have passed on.

      Reply
  • michele
    June 26, 2017

    I love using and making prayer bead necklaces and loved seeing you write about this–encouraging others to pray has life-changing consequences. 🙂

    Reply
    • Bailey
      michele
      June 26, 2017

      Prayer really does have life-changing consequences!

      Reply
  • Melanie Winters
    June 26, 2017

    Love this idea and think everyone struggles from time to time with finding the right words to pray or getting stuck in a rut of giving thanks for or petitioning for the same things over and over again. Turning to scripture and utilizing pre-written prayers that touch your heart seems like a great way to strengthen your relationship with God and get yourself “back on track”.

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Melanie Winters
      June 30, 2017

      Thanks, Melanie! I’m glad that resonated with you.

      Reply
  • Whit
    June 27, 2017

    I learned so much about prayer beads reading this. Great post!

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Whit
      June 30, 2017

      Thank you for your encouragement.

      Reply
  • Nancy Hoffner
    July 8, 2017

    Thank you so much Bailey for your thoughts and insights into growing our prayer lives.
    I too am drawn to the liturgical part of worship.
    The prayer beads will be a great tool for me to
    use. I had not thought about this aspect of growing my prayer life. Your writings are very
    helpful to me in many ways. God is so good in helping us to grow even when we don’t understand what our need really is about.
    Blessings, Nancy

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Nancy Hoffner
      July 8, 2017

      Nancy, God is very good in showing us our needs and using the Holy Spirit to strengthen and grow us. I hope that prayer beads prove to be a useful tool for drawing your heart into an attitude of praise and adoration.

      Reply
  • The Beauty of Confession: 3 Ways to Incorporate it into Your Prayer Life - The Thin Place
    July 23, 2017

    […] This helped me find a balance between praising God for who He is and what He has done, confessing my sins, and petitioning Him for my requests. If you are looking to add balance to your prayer life, I highly recommend this route. Read more on why I developed a practice of using prayer beads here. […]

    Reply
  • Vicky
    October 25, 2017

    You Write beautifully and from the heart. Sometimes, I find myself using my prayers just like a letter to Santa. You’re right about using psalms as a basis for prayers. Thats what helped me with my prayers too. And the beads are lovely too

    Reply
  • Beth
    January 4, 2019

    Many decades and my prayers stippes. For a few years this idea has come to me also…. Why don’t we have a ptotestant rosery? Age maybe, wanting something to hold and like you said anchor my thoughts. Thank the Lord I found this, Good bless you and your work.

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Beth
      January 5, 2019

      Bless you, Beth! Thank you for sharing. Many Protestants do use a rosary. Here’s a Protestant article on the rosary that I hope helps clarify: http://anglicanpastor.com/aids-to-worship-the-rosary/

      Reply
  • Beth
    January 4, 2019

    I thought I saw a link for the beads… can’t find now…?

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Beth
      January 5, 2019

      I made my own but here’s an affiliate link to some lovely ones on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SzeG9r

      Reply
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Hello, I’m Bailey
about me

Hello, I’m Bailey

The Thin Place was born out of a season of struggle. A season where I felt stretched thin and desperately longed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. The goodness of God showed up in unexpected ways. During that season, the spiritual disciplines laid out in Scripture, the traditions of the Church, and the reminders of His faithfulness seen in liturgial living and the feasts and seasons of the Church calendar all opened my eyes to the hope we have in Christ.

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Baruch, as you may recall from the book of Jeremiah, was the scribe of Jeremiah. This is a prophetic book written by Baruch calling the people of Jerusalem to repent of their idol worship and return to the Lord. 
Baruch is a great reminder of the importance of confession. The book opens with a call to make respond.
Then they wept, and fasted, and prayed before the Lord; and they collected money, each giving what he could – Baruch 1:5-6 RSVCE 
Baruch is a collection of the response to sin – both the acknowledgment of sin and the call to God’s mercy. 
#christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime 
#biblequotes #bibleinspiration
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Baruch, as you may recall from the book of Jeremiah, was the scribe of Jeremiah. This is a prophetic book written by Baruch calling the people of Jerusalem to repent of their idol worship and return to the Lord. Baruch is a great reminder of the importance of confession. The book opens with a call to make respond. Then they wept, and fasted, and prayed before the Lord; and they collected money, each giving what he could – Baruch 1:5-6 RSVCE Baruch is a collection of the response to sin – both the acknowledgment of sin and the call to God’s mercy. #christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime #biblequotes #bibleinspiration
4 weeks ago
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1/5
The Book of Sirach is part of the Wisdom literature of the Bible. It was also written during the Maccabean revolt to encourage the people to hold fast to their Jewish faith and not to neglect the traditions and commandments handed down to them. 
Sirach is one of the books of the Bible found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the late 1940s. It is also found in every copy of the Septuagint suggesting that is was considered to be Scripture by the Greek speaking Jews of that period.
It is full of practical, clear wisdom that is incredibly applicable to our lives today such as: 
The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. - Sirach 3:18
The higher your position, the more you have to actively seek humility. When you are in a low position, when you rely on others, humility is a more natural disposition and you recognize your dependence on God. When you are great, you need to actively seek humility. 
Do not say, “Because of the Lord I left the right way”; for he will not do what he hates. - Sirach 15:11
This is pretty straightforward. We cannot blame the Lord when we choose sin. The Lord does not do what He hates. He will always provide a way for us to choose good and it adds to our shame when we choose sin and blame God for it. 
A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue; so the downfall of the wicked will occur speedily. - Sirach 20:18
As the Book of James expands upon the importance of bridling your tongue but more abut consistently in the Book of Sirach we are exhorted to keep charge over our tongues. Ironically, this is much easier said than done. 
Whether you’re new to the wisdom literature or have spent years pouring over proverbs, Sirach is a great place to begin in living a wiser, more biblical life. 
#bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture
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The Book of Sirach is part of the Wisdom literature of the Bible. It was also written during the Maccabean revolt to encourage the people to hold fast to their Jewish faith and not to neglect the traditions and commandments handed down to them. Sirach is one of the books of the Bible found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the late 1940s. It is also found in every copy of the Septuagint suggesting that is was considered to be Scripture by the Greek speaking Jews of that period. It is full of practical, clear wisdom that is incredibly applicable to our lives today such as: The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. - Sirach 3:18 The higher your position, the more you have to actively seek humility. When you are in a low position, when you rely on others, humility is a more natural disposition and you recognize your dependence on God. When you are great, you need to actively seek humility. Do not say, “Because of the Lord I left the right way”; for he will not do what he hates. - Sirach 15:11 This is pretty straightforward. We cannot blame the Lord when we choose sin. The Lord does not do what He hates. He will always provide a way for us to choose good and it adds to our shame when we choose sin and blame God for it. A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue; so the downfall of the wicked will occur speedily. - Sirach 20:18 As the Book of James expands upon the importance of bridling your tongue but more abut consistently in the Book of Sirach we are exhorted to keep charge over our tongues. Ironically, this is much easier said than done. Whether you’re new to the wisdom literature or have spent years pouring over proverbs, Sirach is a great place to begin in living a wiser, more biblical life. #bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture
1 month ago
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2/5
The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors.
While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. 
It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. 
For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” 
There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. 
Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask.
#proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword  #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld
#thinplaces #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
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The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors. While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask. #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #thinplaces #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
1 month ago
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3/5
Chances are, the Books of Maccabees are probably the deuterocanonical books you are most familiar with!  It is in these books that we find the origins of Hanukkah.
To be honest, they are a rough read. A really rough read. They detail the suffering the people of God endured while their enemies attempted to control their land and wipe out their religion. 
It is a set of books filled with great suffering as many of the faithful are killed but it is also a book of great bravery and trust in the Lord in the midst of trials.
In Maccabees, two of the theological principles used today are clearly seen. The first, that God created the world out of nothing. 2 Maccabees 7:28 details how God did not make the world out of things already created, but out of nothing. 
The second principle is that of praying for the dead. While there are references throughout Scripture and it is a clear practice of the Early Church, it is most clearly referenced in 2 Maccabees 12. 
#christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime
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Chances are, the Books of Maccabees are probably the deuterocanonical books you are most familiar with! It is in these books that we find the origins of Hanukkah. To be honest, they are a rough read. A really rough read. They detail the suffering the people of God endured while their enemies attempted to control their land and wipe out their religion. It is a set of books filled with great suffering as many of the faithful are killed but it is also a book of great bravery and trust in the Lord in the midst of trials. In Maccabees, two of the theological principles used today are clearly seen. The first, that God created the world out of nothing. 2 Maccabees 7:28 details how God did not make the world out of things already created, but out of nothing. The second principle is that of praying for the dead. While there are references throughout Scripture and it is a clear practice of the Early Church, it is most clearly referenced in 2 Maccabees 12. #christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime
1 month ago
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4/5
Judith is another archetypal story of the battle being won at the hand of a woman, seen also in Judges and Esther. 
During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, an army is sent to destroy the mountain town that Judith lives in. The people are greatly distressed and death seems to be the only option. Judith, a wealthy widow, trusts in the Lord and ultimately, kills the opposing military leader and brings peace to the people.
It is a story of God’s provision for His people in their exile through an unlikely source, a widow. In Judith, we see an archetype pointing to Mary and to the Church, waiting for her true Bridegroom. 
But it is also a story that points to the Lord’s desire to draw all nations to Himself! One of my favorite parts of the book of Judith is that it tells us of the conversion of a man who initially sets out to fight the Jewish people coming to believe in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. 
“And when Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel.” - Judith 14:10
It beautiful reminder that God’s deliverance is for all mankind. 
#proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword  #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
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Judith is another archetypal story of the battle being won at the hand of a woman, seen also in Judges and Esther. During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, an army is sent to destroy the mountain town that Judith lives in. The people are greatly distressed and death seems to be the only option. Judith, a wealthy widow, trusts in the Lord and ultimately, kills the opposing military leader and brings peace to the people. It is a story of God’s provision for His people in their exile through an unlikely source, a widow. In Judith, we see an archetype pointing to Mary and to the Church, waiting for her true Bridegroom. But it is also a story that points to the Lord’s desire to draw all nations to Himself! One of my favorite parts of the book of Judith is that it tells us of the conversion of a man who initially sets out to fight the Jewish people coming to believe in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. “And when Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel.” - Judith 14:10 It beautiful reminder that God’s deliverance is for all mankind. #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
1 month ago
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