The Liesborn Prayer Wheel
“Sometimes returning to ancient sources is exactly what we need to renew our spiritual lives.”—Payton Dodd, Jana Riess, and David Van Biema in “Foreword,” The Prayer Wheel: A Daily Guide to Renewing Your Faith with a Rediscovered Spiritual Practice (Convergent, 2018).
Three well-known religion writers join forces to present a meditative method using the ancient practice of the prayer wheel. The medieval Liesborn Wheel consists of four concentric bands containing the Lord’s Prayer; the Old Testament Gifts of the Spirit from Isaiah; Events in the Life of Jesus; and the Beatitudes. Each of these four texts is divided into seven stepping stones. Together these texts comprise a complete vocabulary of faith.
The seven phrases, petitions, or stepping stones are spiritual tools or disciplines to put us in position to connect to the God within us. The authors suggest journeying around the wheel as a daily prayer practice. The wheel can also be used topically for special needs, in times of grief, when offering gratitude, or praying for others. Its use is appropriate in times of joy, discernment, or needing forgiveness. The wheel can aid prayers for healing, hope, praise, and achieving calmness. It also can be a guide for Bible study. There are endless possibilities.
The invitation to return to this ancient source is an opportunity for all of us who would like to learn alternative ways to experience contemplative prayer.
Joanna. Joannaseibert.com
