Michelle and I had the opportunity to visit our daughter, Grace, who is serving on staff with the mission organization YWAM (Youth With A Mission). It was amazing to spend a week at their training base and to be surrounded by a thousand missionaries. We learned a phrase there that the students were using “being wrecked by God.” This is actually a good thing. And by the end of the week, God had wrecked Michelle and me.
One of the things that was so encouraging was to see so many college-age students in white-hot blaze of passion for the glory of Jesus Christ among all the nations. It had the excitement of a youth camp, except they were being trained to go immediately into the harvest fields. Michelle commented to Grace, “Wow, why would you ever want to leave here?” Her response was, “Mom, we are not being trained to stay, but to go!” The hand of the Lord has been on Loren Cunningham (founder of YWAM) and his work; he understands what it means to disciple.
One of the things that the Holy Spirit clearly spoke to me while at the YWAM base was that my prayers were too small. So it has been no coincidence that my Bible reading has recently led me through Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. One of the phrases that continued to stand out to me was that the offerings presented by the priests were “soothing aromas” to the Lord (17 times in Leviticus alone). It always perplexed me why God would phrase it that way. Why would the aroma matter to Him?
Aromas were clearly important in the worship in the tabernacle. Exodus 30 describes the altar of incense that was to be placed in front of the veil that was near the ark of the testimony, where God met with the high priest. Every day, the priest was required to burn fragrant incense on it every morning and every evening at twilight. Verse 8 states, “There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.”
When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year, he was required to carry incense. Leviticus 16:12-13 says, “[The priest] shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil. He shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, otherwise he will die.”
The theme of aromas and incense was continued into the New Testament. The magi brought frankincense and myrrh (both aromatic resins used as incense) as gifts to the newborn king Jesus (Matthew 2:11). Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with costly perfume (John 12:3). Paul says that God “manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14), and that Christ “gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:2)
As I have said many times, the writer of Hebrews tells us that the earthly tabernacle in the Old Testament was a shadow and type of the true heavenly one. So what is the reality that the earthly incense was to point to?
Revelation gives us an explanation. Revelation 5:8 states, “…the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders…Each had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.”
Revelation 8:3-5 “Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”
As I had been meditating on these things, I saw the connection and thought it interesting that our prayers are somehow stored in golden bowls in heaven. But the immense weight of it had not hit me.
And then at 4:30 in the morning the Holy Spirit woke me up, and I began thinking on these things. I pictured myself beside the altar of incense with the sweet aroma of the countless prayers of the saints – your prayers; my prayers. And then I entered into the very Holy of Holies, the throne room of God, because the veil was torn in two from top to bottom, heaven to earth, signifying that the tearing was initiated by God Himself, not man. And the smoke of the incense filled the room. Only in heaven the cloud of incense does not obscure the sight. And who do you think is there in the middle of the throne? A Lamb standing, as if slain. Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, has made a way through the torn veil (that is His body) so that we could enter into the very council of God Almighty.
Hebrews 7:24-25 says that “because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Our High Priest is right now in the Holy of Holies before the Father unceasingly offering up the incense of intercession for us! (Could this be the smoke that Isaiah saw in his vision? (Isaiah 6:4))
And Hebrews 4:14-16 says, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence (KJV says to come boldly) to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
With confidence. Boldly. Is that how you pray? The Father wants us to pray that way. He loves to smell the sweet aroma of our prayers before Him so that He can answer them. Remember Revelation 8:5 where the angel takes the censer and throws it to earth? I take that to mean that all of the prayers that had been stored in the bowls will be answered according to God’s will and in His time. Not one prayer that is for the glory of God will be wasted.
John G. Paton (Missionary to the New Hebrides Islands of the South Pacific during the 1800’s) wrote,
Did ever mother run more quickly to protect her crying child in danger’s hour than the Lord Jesus hastens to answer believing prayer and send help to His servants in His own good time and way, so far as it shall be for their good and His glory.
And the Father loves hearing us pray His Word to Him. I hope when you pray, you have your Bible open before you, or that you use the scriptures you have memorized as points of prayer. Because the Father loves hearing His children humbly but boldly say, “You said, Lord; You said!”
You said, Lord, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” You said, Lord; You said!
You said, Lord, that You “will not allow [me] to be tempted beyond what [I am] able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that [I] will be able to endure it.” You said, Lord; You said!
You said, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest.” You said, Lord! You said!
So as we take communion, let us enter through the veil, that is, by way of the spilled blood and the torn body of our Savior Jesus Christ, and offer up sacrifices of prayers and praise as a sweet aroma before our Father.
Three Rivers Church 