Prayer Prompting Stones

A Hands-on Prayer List

 Great Hand-Crafted Christmas Present

 

© Jeannie St. John Taylor

               All through the Bible, God uses stones as reminders.

                In the first book of the Bible, Jacob took the stone he used as a pillow and set it upright so he would remember the place where God met him in a dream (see Gen 28:11).

                God wrote his Ten Commandments on a stone with his own finger so his children would never forget his laws (see Ex.31:18).

               He instructed Moses to incorporate engraved precious stones into the clothing the high priest wore when entering the Most Holy Place. When God saw the stones he was “reminded of his people continually” (Ex. 28:29 NLT).

               When the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, God told them to set up memorial stones on the bank of the river so that, in the future, their children would be curious and ask about the stones. Their questions would remind the parents to share the story of how God opened a path through the Jordan River when the Ark of the LORD started across (see Josh. 4:6-9).

               In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter refers to Jesus as the cornerstone and declares we are the living stones God is building into his spiritual temple (see 2 Pet. 2: 5,6). The last book of the Bible mentions the white stone engraved with the new name

Jesus will give us when we enter heaven and change into perfect beings (see Rev. 2:17).

               How appropriate for us to use stones as visual reminders to pray for our friends and loved ones, the very people Jesus longs to perfect as he builds them into the living stones of his temple.

 

Assembling the Stones

Purchase polished semi-precious colored stones at a gift store or buy polished river rocks at any craft store

Making the Stones into a Prayer List

With a fine point permanent marker or an enamel pen, neatly print the name of one person for whom

You wish to pray on each stone. A single name can represent an entire family: i.e. “Barb” might remind you to pray for Barb, her husband, her parents and all ten of her children.

Arrange the name-stones in a dish that has a special meaning for you. I like to use a crystal bowl, or

shallow crystal coaster for fewer stones, because crystal symbolizes purity. You may use a bowl with special meaning to your family.

 Or you may prefer a hand-crafted earthen bowl to help you remember we humans are made of clay.

Set the stones in the bowl on a table or the counter where they will catch your eye and remind you to pray.

How to Use the Name Stones

               Every day, sort through the name-stones one at a time. As you read the name on each stone, ask the Holy Sprit to show you how to pray for the name on the stone and the names he / she represents. Then pause for a moment before you begin praying to give the Holy Spirit time to speak into your thoughts.

More Ways to Use the Stones

Explain the purpose of the stones to your loved ones. Then expect to hear clicking sounds when they’re

alone in a room with the stones. They will be sorting through the pile, looking for their name-stone, feeling

affirmed and loved by you — and God.

To help with a difficult day at school, let your child take his / her name-stone with him / her. It will

Comfort your child as he / she remembers you are praying.

Display the stones in a prominent place in your home or on your desk  at work. They will offer unexpected

opportunities to witness.

When someone is going through a difficult time, stick their name-stone in your pocket or purse to remind

yourself to pray through the day.

Look Up These Stones in the Bible

Altars built from uncut stones (see Ex. 20:25)

Stones used to determine God’s will, the Urim and Thummim, (see Ex. 28:30)

Stones used to kill Goliath, the giant threatening God’s people (see 1 Sam. 17:40)

Stones used to execute lawbreakers (see Deut. 13:10)

Repairing the stone walls that surround and protect Jerusalem (see Neh. Chapters 3 & 4)

Stones would cheer for Jesus if people didn’t (See Luke 19:40)

No stone could keep Jesus in the grave (Mark 16:3,4)

Precious stones inlaid into the walls of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:18)

Warning!

   Always remember that the stones themselves have no power. They are simply a visual reminder to pray.

(Jeannie’s Prayer Stone come packaged as a kit complete with

stones, bowl, and a name pen on Christianbook.com.)

Am I Praying? Now On Youtube

Over the past few months, several people have contacted me to say they've searched for my picture book, Am I Praying?, but can't find it. Anywhere. Not even used. 

While it isn't strictly true that there are no copies (there are always a few on Amazon)  most available ones are way overpriced. The first time I checked the Internet I found only two and they cost upwards of $1,000.00 each! One was $997.00 and the other was priced a little higher. I suspect neither of those sold. Usually copies are more reasonably priced, though they still often cost from thirty dollars to over three hundred dollars. 

   Am I Praying?

That's sad for me because I write as a ministry -- not for the money -- and I want everyone to read Am I Praying because of the fun way it teaches about prayer. One time a seventy-two-year-old electrician told my husband and I that after reading the book he knew for the first time in his life when he was praying and when he was not. He 'got' prayer!

I love that! 

I want everyone to 'get' the concept of prayer. Especially children. I want children to hear all about Jesus and all the benefits of following him as early as possible. Did you know that only ten percent of Christians find the Lord after the age of fourteen? And an astonishing number fall away from the faith in their adult years. Though there are no guarantees since God gave us free will, I hope that good solid instruction in how to follow Christ will make a difference, and I believe Am I Praying? offers one small way parents can help establish their children in the faith.

So I hope you will click on the link above, listen to the book in Youtube and then pass the word to your friends. The more people who go to my channel, the more people Youtube will send there. That means even non-Believers will be tempted to listen. And that makes me smile.

 

How to Use the Bible to Help You Pray

 Since this is the day I post a prayer on my Weekly Prayer blog, 

I thought I'd include ways you can use the Bible 

to teach you to pray and enrich your prayers. 

• Change any scripture into prayer by personalizing it.

“Help (ask this for yourself or insert a loved one’s name) begin to understand the incredible greatness of your power for us who believe you. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead” (based on Eph. 1:19).

• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how you should pray. That’s based on Romans 8:26, which tells us the Spirit helps us in our weakness when we don’t know what to pray for.

• When praying for the younger generation, pray Psalm 119 which tells how to live a godly, successful life. (It’s a long chapter so it may take several days or weeks to get through it. Pray only the verses that strike you as you read.)

• After you’ve failed miserably, pour out your grief to the Lord with Psalm 51. Then claim Romans 8:1, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus . . . “ and Romans 8:38, 39, “ . . . Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus . . .”

• For loved ones in danger, or for all soldiers and American civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, pray Psalm 91 daily. It is also a great Psalm to pray during natural disasters.

• Pray along with any prayer in the Bible. Start with Paul’s prayers in the early chapters of Ephesians and Colossian then, changing the specifics to fit our own nation, pray Daniel 10: 7- 19.

• Anything God says is a promise. When you find a promise as you read, claim it for yourself. Thank the Lord for it. That sort of grateful prayer delights him.

• Below is a “wrecking ball prayer” to pray daily for yourself, your family or your friends. Written by Barb Martin, based on a concept in Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets:

“Knowing God’s weapons for fighting the stubborn problems (strongholds) in my life are spiritual (see 2 Cor. 10:3 – 5), in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I destroy you, strongholds of (see below).  I declare no weapon of Satan will prosper in _____________’s life.”

(Ask the Holy Spirit to identify strongholds for you. Some possible strongholds: fear, feelings of worthlessness, rebellion, pride, control, defiance, procrastination, laziness, denial, passivity, rebellion, selfishness, lying, intellectualism, strife, self-sufficiency, contention, competition, domination, manipulation, hiding, negativity, anger, lack of wisdom, skepticism, workaholism, god of science or sports, hedonism, self-indulgence, materialism, resentment, occult, religious spirit, stubbornness, adultery, lust, other sexual sins, etc.) 

The above suggestions barely make a dent in the many ways you can turn to the Bible for help as you pray. There is nothing better than praying God’s own powerful words back to him. You can’t go wrong when you do that.

© Jeannie St. John Taylor