Monday Night Prayer- The Aroma of Prayer

 Well ladies, I thought prayer focus was over. We started in December with Worship, January was Thanksgiving, February was Forgiveness, March was Healing and April was Jesus: savior, comforter, provider and protector. I thought I was going to just go back to praise and worship songs and our prayer, but I felt the Holy Spirit saying not yet, I am not done. But I wasn't sure where, what, why, how so I have been praying.

Then in my study time, a scripture jumped out, and I knew that it was for tonight. In Revelation 5:8, "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."  Now I knew what he wanted to show us. 

In the heaven, we see the throne room which was recreated by God, instruction given to Moses for Israel and in which God's present came and dwelled in. In Exodus chapter 30, we see another bowl of incense (5 spices) which the priests had. This incense was always burning right before the holy of holies. The altar of incense was called “most holy to the Lord” (verse 10).

The altar of incense is the symbol of the constant prayers of God’s people. Now because of the blood shed by Jesus on our behalf, our prayers are kindled with heaven's grace. His blood applied to our hearts is what makes our prayers acceptable, they are pleasing to God, and they are all kept by Him just like He told us in Revelation. 

Every earnest, fervent prayer is a sweet-smelling aroma to Him, like the burning incense. He wants our prayers around him. When the Holy Spirit revealed this to me, it was the moment I stopped thinking of prayers that just went up to the sky to Him that were temporary, just for that moment or situation, and realized that they were our conversations that he keeps with him always. I have cards and notes that my husband and kids wrote me through the years, I refuse to throw away and keep in a box. These prayers of ours are holy because of Jesus's sacrifice, therefore pleasing to him and he keeps them.

What is our incense made up of? The ingredients are thanksgiving, forgiving, intercession, praise, adoration, seeking wisdom, petitions, supplications, salvation, protection, comfort, healing, etc. Yes, all those prayers that we have been focusing on for the past 5 months are pleasing to Him and make up our incense that he smells in the throne room. 

Now I understood why we weren't done this month yet. He wants us to know that He is pleased with each and every prayer we give to him. He is so pleased with each and every prayer that he collects them in golden bowls in heaven close to him. 

People hurting, people broken
Beaten down and feeling hopeless
Wonder if it's gonna always be this way
Who will speak up for the captive
Show some love and heal a past that
Binds the wounds we think will never go away

But what if we could be a people on our knees
As one before the King
'Cause we believe

All the world starts changing
When the church starts praying
Strongholds start to break
Oh, when we pray
Prison walls start shaking
At the sound of praising
Nothing stays the same
Oh, when we pray
Oh, when we pray, oh

I see revival rising
I see hope on the horizon
As a generation stepping out in faith

Because we will be a people on our knees
As one before the King
'Cause we believe, hey!

Let Your kingdom come, Lord
Let Your will be done (hey!)

In Jesus' name