Christians and Catholics have used prayer beads for well over a thousand years to keep their daily prayers focussed.

From my understanding it started by carrying small pebbles in your pocket or tying knots in a rope. The idea is to pray a prayer and move to the next pebble or knot to help you keep on track.

Catholics have their Rosaries they pray daily. This has 59 beads and they pray different prayers on different beads. Protestant christians have their own prayer beads that contain 33 beads that they can use too.

The protestant prayers beads have a few differences to the Catholic Rosaries. Here is some information I found recently…

The Anglican [or Christian] rosary was created as a tool for prayer. It is a prayer form which is a blending of the Marian (Roman Catholic) Rosary and the Orthodox Jesus Prayer Rope and encourages a wider range of prayers. It is a simple form of prayer available to all of God’s children, and is a way of allowing God’s Word to sink deeply Into the soul and become prayer in us.

The rosary is made from 33 beads or knots, plus a cross or crucifix. The number 33 is a reminder of the number of years Jesus lived among us.

The cross is a reminder of our identity as Christians, and of Jesus’ call to take up our own crosses and follow him. It speaks of the lengths God Is willing to go to reach us. It is our entry Into the circle of prayer.

The knot or bead above the cross is the Invitatory. It is an invitation to trust God; to offer our worship, our praise, our whole life.

When the rosary is laid out in a circle, the four larger beads or knots represent the points of the cross. They are the Cruciform knots/beads. They also symbolize the four seasons – the sanctity of time – and the four –seasons – the sanctity of creation. The circle is a symbol of God’s unending love and of our unity as Christians.

The four sets of seven beads/knots are called Weeks. They symbolise our offering of our time and lives. The number 7 is traditionally associated with completion and perfection In Hebrew and Christian mysticism. This is not static perfection, but the ongoing work of God In all of us

From my understanding the Christian Rosary uses a blend of traditional prayers and Scripture. If you are interested there are some sample prayers here.

The Jesus prayer has been used for centuries by Christians and Catholics alike. The key phrase “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner“ honours Jesus and asks for his help.

This prayer works well on the prayer beads above in the image. I

On the Cross

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

The Invitatory

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” – Matthew 6:7-13

The Cruciforms

LORD, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. – Psalm 40:11 NLT

The Weeks

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God. have mercy on me, a sinner.

End Cruciform

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

End Invitatory

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, a world without end. Amen.

The Cross

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

I love this quote about authentic prayer…

Prayer is not just spending time with God. It is partly that–but if it ends there, it is fruitless. No, prayer is dynamic. Authentic prayer changes us–unmasks us–strips us–indicates where growth is needed. Authentic prayer never leads to complacency, but needles us–makes us uneasy at times. It leads us to true self-knowledge, to true humility.”–Teresa of Avila