OUR PRAYERS MATTER

“Prayers are deathless.” These are the attention-grabbing words of one Christian writer. He wanted us to understand the power and lasting nature of our prayers: “The mouths that spoke them may be closed in death, the heart that felt them may have ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God’s heart is set on them. Prayers outlive the lives of those who spoke them; they outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world.”

Have you ever wondered if your prayers—particularly those you’ve said in real difficulty, pain and worry—ever make it to God? These insightful words remind us of the importance of our prayers and so does Revelation 8:1-5. The setting is heaven (REVELATION 8:1), the throne room of God and the control centre of the universe. Angels stand in God’s presence (V.2) and one angel, like
the priests of the Old Testament, offers Him incense along with the prayers of “all God’s people” (V.3). How eye-opening and encouraging to have this picture of the prayers offered on earth rising to God in heaven (V.4). When we think that our prayers may have been lost or forgotten, what we see here reminds us that they will be answered. Maybe not today; and maybe we won’t see the answer tomorrow. But on the Day that God makes all wrong things right, we know all our prayers will be fulfilled. It’s an encouragement to keep on praying! Our prayers matter to God—every single one!

Thinking it over . . .

Have you questioned whether God really listens to Your prayers? How can passages like Revelation 8:1-5 give you renewed enthusiasm for prayer? Why should thinking about the final Day make us more prayerful (1 PETER 4:7)?