What do you think of PRAYER WHEELS?

[Von]

I've heard some people say that prayer wheels are a form of mysticism. What do you think?

 

[Joshua]

Huh?

 

[Hamalas]

I have zero idea of what a "prayer wheel" is. Definition?

 

[Jack K]

They are not the way Christians should pray.

Beyond the issue that they are not commanded in Scripture, prayer wheels take an approach to God that is not consistent with requests made to a loving Father. They treat God as a force to be manipulated rather than as a caring person who gives what is good to his children, and they suggest repetition will get a prayer heard because of many words.

 

[Cymro]

A prayer wheel is a mechanical Bhudist mantra machine, that responds to your biceps not your mind,or soul. Unknown in Christianity, but can find a parallel in the RC rosary.

 

[Von]

This is an example of a prayer wheel:

It was made popular by Dick Eastman's book "The Hour That Changes the World".

 

[Hamalas]

Are you supposed to pray this at each hour, or spin a wheel or something? I'm still not fully getting it I'm afraid.

 

[Alan D. Strange]

I am only familiar with the use of such in Buddhism, as Jeff mentions.

Josh and Ben: your response to this in a Christian context is precisely mine. You guys are the best! I too am dumbfounded that such a thing would ever be used in a Christian context. Your "say what?" responses brightened my day!

Peace,
Alan

 

[Edward]

Prayer wheels are probably fine for orthodox Buddhists.

 

[arapahoepark]

This is an example of a prayer wheel:
View attachment 5108
It was made popular by Dick Eastman's book "The Hour That Changes the World".

You confused so many of us! I thought you were talking about the Buddhists in Nepal.
That infographic is nothing like the sort we had in mind. I find no initial objections to seeing it as an order of the way to pray, similar to many other books on prayer and namely the Lord's Prayer.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Sorry, what is wrong with that diagram?

 

[Jack K]

Yeah, I too thought you meant something similar to the Buddhist practice, since there are those who profess to be Christians and have copied that concept.

The wheel you posted is, by the look of it, a sort of guide one might use to stay focused and cover a range of prayer topics. That's okay, I guess. Many believers find that a list or guide helps them focus and stay constant in prayer.

But I also would be wary of a functional legalism. We might start to feel smug about ourselves when we follow the wheel's formula or condemned when we don't. The wheel you posted tells how prayer "should" start and end, as if prayers that don't follow this particular formula are somehow deficient, and as if believers who don't use the wheel are doing things wrongly. That would be an unhealthy way to think.

 

[ZackF]

All I got with the question is a Journey song stuck in my head.

 

[Von]

Are you supposed to pray this at each hour, or spin a wheel or something? I'm still not fully getting it I'm afraid.

You start at 1.WORSHIP (or probably more appropriate - PRAISE) and then work your way around, spending 5 minutes on each topic, and then moving to the next.

 

[bookslover]

I think I remember reading somewhere that the Roman Catholics got the idea for the rosary from Middle Eastern worry beads. They took this idea and adapted it. Syncretism at its best, I guess.

 

[Ben Zartman]

There's nothing wrong with setting up a structure to help keep focus--Our Lord gave us a prayer to follow, and we have His example in several others. But given the confusion with the Buddhist's mechanical toy, I'd be inclined to call it something else. My mind immediately went off to Nepal when I saw your title.

 

[Von]

But given the confusion with the Buddhist's mechanical toy, I'd be inclined to call it something else.

"Prayer Pie"
"Prayer Kaleidoscope"

 

[Joshua]

Oh. Well, I use cologne and bathe at least once a month. The wheels on my truck -which are not prayer wheels- work fine.

 

[Jack K]

When I was young, I knew a Reformed pastor who taught that prayer should follow a particular order:

P = PRAISE. Prayer should begin this way.
R = REPENT. Confession of sin comes next.
A = ASK. This is your "prayer list" where you go down the needs of others.
Y = YOURSELF. Put yourself last, asking for your personal needs.

This pastor taught that his order is the proper way to be PRAYing. To do it backwards is YARPing, which displeases God.

Well, I now think that was unwise teaching. Although there may be some benefits to remembering each aspect of prayer, and some practice of humility in being quick to recognize one's place as a sinner before God, the insistence that we follow one formula ends up condemning believers simply for being quick to take personal needs before their Father. When a person is exercising faith that way, it's unhelpful to tell them they're doing it wrongly.

Prayer guides have their place and can be useful. After all, Jesus gave us one (the Lord's Prayer). But we should be careful not to get so focused on properly following the guide that our prayer ceases to be an act of childlike faith.

 

[Von]

The wheels on my truck -which are not prayer wheels- work fine.

We have a trucking company here in South Africa that you might be interested in...

 

[Von]

Thanks for all of your input - it has been very helpful!

 

[yeutter]

My friends in Nepal occasionally react with horror to things that Christians accept as the norm in the West. I am sure they would be horrified if they learned that some Christians thought that prayer wheels were acceptable.

 

[reaganmarsh]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was quite confused by this term. My initial reaction was to think that Mark Batterson had come out with a sequel to his praying circles around everything book.

Oy vay...