Let my prayers rise like incense before you.
(Today’s blog is an excerpt from Janis Jelke, The Psalms Woman)
The altar of incense was located right in front of the veil outside of the Holy of Holies in the temple. It was the closest item to the room where the Spirit of God dwelt. The smoke from the incense would rise constantly in front of the veil that separated men from the dwelling place of God. It was the closest men could get to God in the Temple, except for the Day of Atonement when the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies. This is a comparison to prayer. We no longer have the veil between God and us – Jesus took care of that on the cross.
But we don’t yet dwell physically with Him. The nearest we draw to Him is in prayer. In fact, even though we can’t see it yet, every time we pray, we enter spiritually into the very throne room of God. (Hebrews 10:19-20) It is the closest we can possibly be to Him. And yet prayer time is something we often cut short because we are busy or tired. What if our incense burned at all times?
There was still one more symbolic use of incense in the ancient temple. All of these ingredients had to be crushed before they could be put to use. Just as Jesus had to be crushed for us to be saved: “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
When talking about the altar of incense, Exodus 30:9 says, “You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.” And Jeremiah 44:3 says, “They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew.”
There was one recipe for incense and one God to burn it to, just as there is only one Savior, and He is the only way to the Father. We can’t make up our own recipe for salvation. We can’t worship other things besides God, even our own works. God is our object of worship and the king of our lives.
When I feel too tired or too busy to stop and spend some time in focused, intentional, deep prayer, I need to remember that just like incense burning, it is a sacrifice to the Lord. It is a sacrifice that has a sweet smell to Him. It is the sacrifice that He always wanted and always will, more than animals or incense or grain offerings or even tithing.
He wants my attention and my obedience: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22) And for me, I am at my most attentive and obedient when I am in prayer.
Let my prayers rise like incense before you.
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