Where Do Prayers Go After Offered?

Revelation 8:2-4: "And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand."

In this interesting account of the activity recorded in Heaven, we notice that the prayers of the saints are offered on a golden altar before God by an angel, whose charge it is to offer incense to the Almighty.

We know from Hebrews 8:2,5 that the Heavenly tabernacle is similar to the one constructed by Moses in the Old Testament; and we know that the Heavenly tabernacle was constructed by the LORD, where Jesus our High Priest serves in the sanctuary, ever making intercession for us (see Hebrews 7:25; 8:2). What is quite fascinating from the Revelation 8 passage above is the presence of a golden altar before the throne of the Almighty upon which the prayers of the saints are offered along with "much incense." We know from antiquity that incense was offered by a priest or other religious intermediary as a recognition of and surrendering to a deity. In the case of the Israelites, this was performed as an expression of worship to the One True Lord of Hosts. That "much incense" would be offered by this angel suggests that God truly is worthy of great honor and praise. He is the Sovereign Lord above all others, and exclusively deserving of our exclusive allegiance.

As I ponder this formal episode, with prayers being offered from this "golden censer" upon the golden altar, I wonder to myself, "How many of my prayers are being presented to the LORD? Have I discredited the importance or need for prayer, thinking that God already knows everything and my petitions and expressions of thanksgiving are redundant and a waste of my time and His? Do I fall into the trap that prayers are mere verbal utterances that leave my mouth and diffuse within seconds never to be heard of again? When I begin to think about the ceremonious offering of prayers even now before the LORD, seated upon His glorious throne, my understanding of prayer's importance both in God's loving response to me (see James 4:2) and in my participation NOW in Heavenly worship (Revelation 8:3) is heightened, and I see that prayer is much more than a perfunctory religious mandate. It is the awesome privilege of joining the heavenly hosts in honoring the LORD!

We must never forget that prayer is crucially important as a resource for Divine intervention as well as an opportunity for our eternal praise of the Almighty. True disciples of Jesus Christ are blessed beyond measure to be granted permission to approach the Heavenly throne of God with confidence (see Hebrews 4:16). What a privilege it is that our loving Lord, in His Sovereign Greatness, is willing to grant us the blessing of worshipping Him through our offerings of prayer upon His glorious altar. It is the one way that we can participate in Heavenly worship, while we continue pressing on in this earthly life . . . . awaiting our Lord's glorious return!