“And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves before the Lamb. Each was holding a harp (lute or guitar), and they had golden bowls full of incense (fragrant spices and gums for burning), which are the prayers of God’s people (the saints).” Revelation 5:8 ->me: As you know I have been reading “A Call to Prayer” by JC Ryle (its just 32 pages but super powerful). I had several conversations today with dear loved friends and one of the biggest topics of our conversations was prayer and more specifically prayer before time in the word. This verse is such a great reminder to show just how much of a place and role our prayer play in not only communicating, worship, and making requests to our Father through the Lord Jesus Christ but that they are also a sweet fragrance that permeates the air of heaven. Think of that for a moment…when we are in deliberate serious prayer (when our focus is entirely on Him) that prayer is wafting in the presence of the throne room of God! So, when I pray I must remember that my prayer is not only a mechanism to communicate to the Almighty it also becomes part of the heavenly atmosphere the Lord and His angelic hosts breath in and enjoy. This begins t change the heart I have in my prayer life and how important it is not just as a mechanism to communicate but also as an offering of incense used by angels and heavenly elders to worship and praise the Most High. I also think it is interesting to note that they were holding the instruments (harps) as well as the incense (prayers of the saints) when falling down to praise and glorify Jesus.
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