Scripture
Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8
Observation
There’s so much going in in Revelation, so much imagery in John’s proleptic vision, that it borders on sensory overload. It’s important to take it slowly and carefully. We may not understand everything in this book, but some truths are very clear. One of of those truths is that every prayer uttered in faith matters to God. So much so that He stores the prayers of the saints in a golden bowl full of incense. This is not something we use in our modern 21st Century worship in America, but incense is used all around the world and was symbolic of prayers and worship before the Lord. “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:2) The incense was only effective once fire was added to the censer and so it is with our prayers. Our prayers ignited by the fire of the Holy Spirit changes things around us and in us. We often stop praying because we don’t see immediate results. That’s why I’m so thankful for this visual Revelation gives us. Even when I can’t see anything happening God is paying attention to my cries. My prayers are held, heard, and acted upon by my God. Romans 8 describes the Holy Spirit igniting the incense of our prayers: “26And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Our prayers aren’t just empty words floating in the ether. They are collected and brought before God, not just once, but continually. We read later in Revelation about the importance of our prayers to the Lord, “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. (Revelation 8:3). We don’t know how much time has passed between chapter 5 and chapter 8 but we do know that no prayer in faith was dropped, ignored, lost or misplaced. The timing of Heaven usually never matches ours. Even the martyrs of the faith crying out for justice are told “to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters — their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.” (Revelation 6:11). This shows us that even in Heaven there is waiting involved when it comes to answered prayers. Do our prayers even matter? The next time that question comes to sow doubt in our heads let us think of the picture painted here in Revelation: An angel of the Heavenly Host is specifically assigned to collect the prayers of the saints in a golden bowl to be offered continually at a golden altar along with precious incense before the throne of grace upon which the God of over all leans in and hears and responds to each one in His timing.
Application
You may think that pastors never doubt the importance or effectiveness of prayers, but that’s simply not true. We battle through the doubts and disbelief just like anyone else. Yesterday, was the three year anniversary of the tragic loss of our family friend Jake Braz. He was in a car accident on Oahu and he died instantly just before the start of their Senior year in High School. He was Elijah’s best friend, Aden’s good friend and would often hang out with our family. He didn’t grow up in a Christian home, but we were able to bring him to church a few times. This sudden death sent my boys into a tailspin for a while and really caused them to wrestle with their faith in God. The question that has plagued us for so long was whether or not Jake knew Jesus before he died. It happened so fast. We thought we had more time to share the full Gospel truth with him. Then, when I read this scripture today, and saw the importance of my prayers to the Lord I was reminded of how we had prayed for Jake many times. I believe we will see Jake in Heaven. Not just because I want to believe that but because God heard our prayers for Jake and, I believe, saved his soul before that fateful day.
Prayer
No prayer goes unheard. No prayer is wasted. God, You have heard them all and hold them all and You answer them all in Your time and way. Forgive me for seasons of prayerlessness. For judging the effectiveness of my prayers on my timetable rather than trusting Yours. Even now, as I write this prayer, I’m being stirred by the Holy Spirit and it’s rising to Your attention in Heaven. I pray for the Jake’s of this generation who don’t know you, the one’s living fast and loose, the ones tempted to take their own lives. I call them in from the North, South, East, and West to hear Your voice, to know Your love. I came to know you because my parents prayed for me and never stopped. I choose to do the same. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16
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