Author Anne Lamott, in her book Traveling Mercies, writes “It's funny: I always imagined when I was a kid that adults had some kind of inner toolbox, full of bright, shiny tools. In my mind’s eye, I could see all those tools. I eyed the saw of discernment. I saw the hammer of wisdom. I picked up the sandpaper of patience. But then when I grew up, I found that life handed you these rusty, bent, old tools - friendships, prayer, conscience, honesty - and said, Do the best you can with these, they will have to do. And mostly, against all odds, they're enough.”
Tools, I have my share. There are others, perhaps some of you, have more, some have less. I am not a mechanic. That would mean my tools like wrenches and sockets, particularly sockets and some other tools, are few and far between in my garage.
Woodworking tools are a different story. Because of some inner-ear problems I don’t do as much woodwork as I used to do. In fact, I sold many of my tools but when my father passed away I inherited all his tools.
If you came into my garage you would find a table saw, a compressor, brad nail gun, air stapler, miter saw, plunge router, belt sander, another belt sander, mouse sander, a bigger mouse sander, an orbital sander, a reciprocating sander, drill press, circular saw, 3 cordless drills, 2 corded drills, and on and on and that is just the power tools. And, really, I don’t have that many. Oh, and, and thanks to what my Dad left me, I have even more than that.
Do I really need all that? Well, obviously I don’t need five drills or four sanders. But, my newest tool is the band saw. There are things I can do with it I can’t do on my table saw.
I was in a colleague’s office one day. He too is a woodworker. He had a wooden train he had made. He used all hand tools. Had I made it, I would have used power tools. The result would have been the same. I likely would have finished first, but I am not sure which would look better.
Not every person, and definitely not every Christian enjoys doing woodwork no matter how cool the tools are and it doesn’t even matter that one of the heroes of the Bible, Joseph, was a carpenter. That is OK. If we were all carpenters, who would fix my car? If all of us were preachers who would listen to our sermons?
Something that is different, or at least it should be different is, prayer. All of us are called to be people of prayer. Matthew writes, “AND WHEN YOU PRAY…” When Scripture says, something like, “And when you pray…” to me says we are supposed to pray. It isn’t like saying, “If you pray.” That would make things different. “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” (Matthew 6:7)
We are supposed to pray. We are not only supposed to pray, this verse makes it pretty clear that we need to remain focused as people of prayer. When you pray don’t go babbling. That says that we need to be people who pray and are careful to be focused on what we are praying.
I think I have told you, I am not a morning guy. I can get up early if I have to, but that doesn’t mean I necessarily have to like it. As a result, all too often, I fall asleep when I am in my morning prayer time (or a lot of other things for that matter), when I am falling asleep, I am, at best babbling. I need something that will keep me focused. During my time in ministry I have found I do a lot better by praying at night and, I also do a lot better when there is something to focus with. I am far more likely to stay awake. I am also more likely to not babble.
I also have come to know, that, while I may even stay awake, I may not even babble, but my mind does wander. It wanders very easily. Many times I don’t have any idea how long my mind wanders before I snap back. I also know that often, when my mind goes out on a journey without my body, when I snap back to my right thinking, all too often, I get up and go on about my day without completing my actual prayer time.
I also have another problem. I have people come up to me and say, “Pastor, would you remember me in prayer?” Or, “Can you remember my daughter…” or “…son…” or “…mom…” or “…father…” or “…friend…” etc.
My answer is always the same. “Sure… you bet…” And, when I say it, I mean it. I have really good intentions, but way too often, I walk away and I don’t remember what I just promised to do. I kneel for prayer and my promise is gone.
The long and short of all this is, just like I need tools to do woodwork, I need prayer tools to help me be better at prayer than I seem to be all on my own. And, I want to tell you, just like me and my colleague would have approached a wooden toy train with different tools, for many of us, find different tools help us to work through our prayer lives.
“OK, wait a minute preacher. For a little while now you have talked about prayer tools. Where in the Bible do you find anything that says it is OK to use prayer tools? Where does the Bible say anything about using tools or beads when we pray?”
“Well, that is a good question. I am so glad you asked.” Many people have two lines of thought when it comes to, “Where does the Bible say something is OK?” kinds of questions. My immediate response is usually, “Where does it say we can’t? Do you drive? Where does the Bible say it is OK to drive?” Many more things can fit into ideas and their places in Scripture or lack thereof.
But, Numbers 15, our main lesson today, talks about putting fringe and blue cords on the edge of clothing to help them remember God’s commands and do them. The fringe and blue cord on the edges of their clothing was a tool to help them remember. I need tools to help me remember. I remember things, important things, when I use the tools of prayer.
During the remainder of our time this morning, I want to talk about some of the tools of prayer. First, let’s talk about something so simple you really don’t have to do anything for it, Dorothy takes care of it for us, a prayer list. That being said, I either cut it out of the bulletin or more likely I copy it by hand into a prayer journal. The copying helps me remember the names on the list.
That immediately brings me to a second tool, the prayer journal. You can have something plain, a spiral notebook or composition book or something nicer like this leather-bound book. I also write prayers in my journal or just to write a paragraph or two about things I pray for, the ways I see God answer prayer in my life or occasionally the way I see God answer the prayers of others. I also include notes about devotionals, potential sermon illustrations, sermon ideas, and more.
Before I move on to another tool, another thing I started doing to remember a few years ago when someone would ask me to pray for them or someone close to them, I stop, right then, with that person and say, “Let’s have prayer right now.” If I pray right then, I know I am praying for them at least once. I pray with them face-to-face. I will pray via email. I will pray over the phone. If you ever ask me to pray and I don’t stop then and pray with you, please ask me to pray with you then. I would also challenge you to do the same. If someone asks you to pray, stop and pray with them then.
The next tools I would talk with you about are books. My favorite book on prayer is, The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. Batterson is pastor at National Community Church in Washington D.C. In this book Batterson talks about circling, sometimes in spiritual ways but sometimes quite literally and praying like we expect something to happen. He argues that sometimes our prayers are lack-luster and insincere. Or, that we stop praying just short of the blessing. So keep praying. Batterson brings tools of encouragement.
Richard Foster, most famous for his book, Celebration of Discipline, a work where he addresses prayer, along with Timothy Keeler, and Phillip Yancey have all written books titled Prayer.
Dr. Maxie Dunnam, former president at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore Kentucky has written several books on prayer. I have not read them all but those I have, I have found helpful.
Max Lucado’s Before Amen is a book I have not read. I really think it is difficult to go wrong with a book by Max Lucado.
There are aids to prayer in our own, United Methodist Book of Worship. Our hymnal also can be helpful in prayer as well. I know a man whose entire prayer life outside the church and uses hymnals as the source or inspiration of almost his whole prayer life. The Book of Common Prayer has many ways of approaching prayer as well.
Lectio Divina is a spiritual discipline/Spiritual formation, form of Christian meditation. In this form a Bible passage is heard or read three times, each time from a different translation of the Bible, listening to how God speaks during that passage.
Bibles are not necessarily prayer tools but they can be. There are several available books on the subject of praying the Scriptures. A good study Bible is important for us. Out of Words is a book that aids in prayer by helping us pray through the Psalms.
When we feel dry in our prayer life, there are many books that we can lean on to help us through. The Book of Uncommon Prayer is a book of written prayer Prayers for Ministers and Other Christians is a good intermediate book that has written prayers but also plenty of room for personal prayer as well.
Candles, for centuries have been tools for prayer. They represent our invitation to the Holy Spirit to join us in prayer and as they burn it is a symbol of the presence of the Holy Spirit in prayer with us.
The labyrinth, sometimes mistakenly called a maze is a wonderful tool for Christian mediation and prayer that dates back centuries. People see it as a maze because it does resemble one. The big difference, however, is that the purpose of a maze is to be a puzzle with the intent of us making wrong turns. In a labyrinth it is impossible to get lost. There is one pathway in, and one pathway out. The pathway leads from the entrance to the center and then from the center back out. One tradition for use of the labyrinth, as one walks the path in, petitions are brought before God. In the center praises are given to God, and then thanksgivings as you make your way out. Like so many tools for prayer, there are no wrong ways to use the labyrinth.
Crosses and other Christian symbols have had their uses in Christian theology through the centuries. Primarily the uses are either focus or tactile. Symbols hanging on a wall or sitting on a table are intended to be something to look at and help to hold our focus. Symbols that are hand-held are tactile in nature but the purpose is to, through touch, hold our focus. From small crosses like these cord crosses or larger crosses like these designed to be handheld it reminds us of where our prayers go and to whom we pray.
Prayer shawls, prayer quilts, and other items that are of similar use are worn. I have known some lay people who ran across a clergy stole in a resale shop somewhere and used it as a prayer stole in their own private prayer time.
Last I want to talk about bead and rope traditions. Virtually every religious tradition on the planet have some kind of bead and/or rope tradition. That is particularly the case with beads. That being said, I was introduced first to bead traditions. Rev. Alan Van Houser, pastor at Friendship UMC in Porter led a workshop on prayer beads. He focused on Anglican Prayer beads though I don’t remember him calling them such. Later when I went through spiritual director’s training I learned about prayer ropes, particularly those in the Orthodox tradition but I have taken those prayer ropes and modified them into a new system.
Let me be very clear here. For Christians in the Wesleyan tradition, there are no wrong ways to use any of these tools. There is nothing magical in the beads nor is there anything holds greater meaning in the words said in one form over another.
Most of us are probably most familiar with rosaries, not because we have necessarily used them but because many of our friends use them regularly and faithfully. I do not know the liturgy other than in bits and pieces that go with the Roman Catholic rosary. When I use one, I use a knotted rosary and it is strictly something to hold as I pray.
I said something a bit ago about beads. I have several different kinds up here. I specifically mentioned Anglican beads and ropes. I am not totally sure how these are used in the Anglican tradition but most people I know who use these use the first bead or not to invite the Holy Spirit. Each of the larger beads stand for a letter in the acronym A.C.T.S. A=Adoration. The seven beads that follow the person lists seven things they love about God. C=Confession, seven things to confess. T=Thanksgiving, seven things for which to be thankful, and finally S=Supplication, seven things to ask of God. If the prayer has more to bring before God they work around the circle once again.
The other rope I work with, and this is my prayer tool of choice both to use in prayer and to tie and give-away to others. This longer string of beads could serve the same purpose and 100 length beads are often used across various religious faiths.
This first prayer rope is an actual Orthodox prayer rope. They have a long, rich history. In the Orthodox tradition, and it is still a way I use ropes at least some of the time. It is a repeated, counted prayer called the Jesus Prayer. It says, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” The prayer is repeated around the circle, sometime many times over. Sometimes people will use many variations of prayers with the rope. For example, I may pray for my friend Paul who has struggled with some serious health issues of late, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy and healing on Paul.” I might pray, “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on your Holy Church Perritte Memorial.” The variations are only limited by our own imaginations.
I tried to learn to tie traditional Orthodox Ropes. I found tutorials on tying them. It uses a very difficult knot. Tradition says the knot is so complicated that it is impossible for Satan to untie it. I have successfully tied that knot twice and it wasn’t in the came rope either time.
Traditional prayer ropes have 33, 50, or 100 knots. Traditional ropes are made of wool, though this traditional 100 knot rope I bought, I don’t think is wool.
My ropes are not made out of wool, but my version, I gave the traditional Wesleyan name, Aldersgate prayer rope has 50 crown knots, not counting the invitation knot or the knots that make up the cross. It is made from 550 pound nylon paracord.
I have also started using a different prayer with the Aldersgate prayer rope. It has its roots in what has historically been called, “John Wesley’s Rule of Life.” “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you Can!" My paraphrase of Wesley’s Rule turned into a prayer says, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, help me to do good, however, wherever, whenever, and for whoever, for as long as I can.”
Friends, these are just a few of the tools available to aid us in our prayer lives. While some might claim that using these tools is wrong because either we aren’t doing it right or we didn’t make it the right way, or from the correct materials. I am saying to you this, if it helps you have a better, stronger prayer life, use it. My only caution to you would be, don’t let a tool become an idol. If we fail to keep our prayer focus where it needs to be, none of the rest matters.
This day, it is my prayer that you might use some of all these prayer tools to strengthen your prayer life and prayer focus. If we can do that, I know we all can make our prayer lives stronger. And, never forget, no matter what others may say, if it strengthens you prayer life and brings you closer to God, you’ve got to be doing something right and I have seen these tools help others help others and help me to grow my prayer life. God can and will use them to help your prayer life too.
