I don't know about you, but I am often tempted to think of prayers as disposables: I need to clean up this mess, so I pray. I pray specifically for the problem, the mess, the situation, the disease, and I know that God hears my prayer. But then I get a feeling that God just throws my prayer away… kind of the same way Christina and I used to throw away our girls' homework papers, pictures, and coloring papers when they were in early elementary school. We would look them over, praise them or encourage them to do better, put the ones with stickers and happy faces up on the fridge, and then, sometime after bedtime, we would throw the old papers away and get ready for the new ones. (Maybe you shouldn’t tell them we did this.)
God doesn’t throw away our prayers – they are not disposable to Him. In Revelation 5:8 says that the prayers of the saints are saved for incense. Revelation 8:3-4 paint for us a picture of an angel at God's altar with incense, combined with the prayers of the saints. The mixture of incense and prayers is burned by coals from the altar and ascends as a fragrant offering before the Lord.
Have you ever stopped to think that our prayers will one day be offered in heaven as the angels worship the Great I AM?
The thought that God captures our prayers and keeps them as incense to be offered at such time as pleases Him should encourage you. He treasures your prayers. He loves you even more deeply than you can love or even imagine that your are loved. He doesn't just put your prayers on His fridge... He keeps their essence in golden bowls which heavenly elders and angels offer up to Him in worship around His throne.
The first day of this month is National Day of Prayer. That’s a good place to start in making this month a special month for prayer… not because I'm a super-saint, but because I need to pray more. Sure, I have a list of important requests: people who I love who don't know Jesus; dear friends who need a special touch from God or guidance and wisdom or provision from Him; goals that I have for ministry and my own person; and my wife and kids. But beyond the requests, I need to spend time with God adoring Him and asking Him to speak to me and be glorified in my life, my family, and my church family.
Our prayers, whether great orations or simple cries of “Help me God”; whether they’re spoken or sung, verbalized or groaned, are kept in heaven for a time when they are poured out as incense before God Almighty, and accepted because of the sacrifice of our precious Savior. So be encouraged as you pray… God hears and answers – and keeps – because you are loved by Him.
