I have discovered that prayer beads help me to become more aware of God’s presence in my life. If you want to try this prayer practice, here’s one way to make and use prayer beads:

String together 6–12 large beads of different sizes and textures. Designate a short prayer, a breath prayer, or a favorite scripture verse for each bead. When you have a few minutes, roll each prayer bead between your fingers as you pray or reflect on scripture. Take as much or as little time as you need for each prayer.

These are my prayers:

• Bead 1 – “God, thank you that I am your beloved and that you take great delight in me.”
• Bead 2 – Psalm 23
• Bead 3 – Philippians 4:13
• Bead 4 – A breath prayer: “Peace, be still. Peace, be still. The storm rages. Peace, be still.”
• Beads 5–8 – The Jesus Prayer, a breath prayer that I compose, the ACTS prayer, or prayers of intercession
• Bead 9 – Romans 8:38–39
• Bead 10 – The Lord’s Prayer
• Bead 11 – John 14:27