07/08/2021
When we pray, how do we envision our prayers? Do we see them as merely being sound waves going out in every direction? Perhaps we visualize them as vapor, or maybe as invisible words that are spoken, and that make tiny ripples like those of a pebble which we have thrown into a pond; insignificantly small. However, none of these imagined manifestations of prayer could be further from the truth because our prayers have substance, and are brought like treasure before God… highly valued, pleasing in their scent, and prepared as an offering for the weight of His glory.
“And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
Revelation 5:8 ESV
We speak words, and utter sounds, all day long, and even in our sleep we continue to do this, so is it any wonder that we would think of our prayers as if they were just another manifestation of the sounds we routinely make? We might be inclined to view our prayers as less significant, but we are mistaken in this. Every prayer we offer up, whether in thanksgiving, sorrow, suffering, pain, or asking for God’s forgiveness, each of them regardless of their purpose, is fragrant, has weight, and can be carried in the hands of elders before God. Our prayers pass from this world into Heaven… from our spirit into the spiritual, in a very real way.
“When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”
John 18:6 ESV
We have many sayings that show we actually believe in the tangible nature of prayer, but we rarely acknowledge their deeper meaning, we say things such as “His word carries much weight”, or sometimes refer to “the substance of prayer”, or one of any number of phrases such as “His words were sweeter than honey.” All of these sayings reveal that we know the physical nature of our prayers… even as we deny this to ourselves in open thought…
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Psalm 119:103 ESV
So how do we pray, and what is our perception of the importance, and nature of those prayers? Do we simply view them as a vapor or mist that we exhale into a cold night, in a moment of emotion, or do they have the real weight of a golden offering, and the tangible meaning and substance of something we exchange in bartering for God’s protection, or His answer to our many needs? Are they carried before Him in golden bowls, or do we deny this to ourselves? Today let’s begin our day with a morning offering of prayer, not simply words of repetition, but the personal, and weighty, offering of our heart.
“O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.”
Psalm 5:3 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for this day, and walk with me through its newness. Lead me Lord in your Word, and take from me the fullness of my heart as I love you with all that is in me. Let my prayers be heavy in your hand, sweet to your taste, soft to your touch, and a pleasant scent in your house. Treasure my prayers as you did those of Jesus, and let them carry much weight before your throne. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who gives glorious eternity in exchange for my love, faith, and obedience. Praised be your name for each of my prayers that you lift from the golden bowl, weigh upon your scale, and honor with your attention. Help me Father to pray as I should, and let no prayer I offer you be without meaning, or absent of weight and substance. Let my prayers be from my heart, and of my heart… let them be my most valued treasure. Hear them Holy Father, as I repent, offer myself in contrition, and ask that you wash me clean of sin with the blood of Jesus. Lift my soul, and seat me before you at your table forevermore. Feed me with the nourishing Word of your scripture, and give me substance as your child… for your eternal pleasure. In this way, exchange the weight of my Spirit filled prayers for the weight of your glory.
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV
Rich Forbes