Sweet Smelling Prayers

I have be a person who prays for a long time. I remember as a boy praying the child’s prayer: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”. I had no idea what all that meant as a kid, but I trusted the Lord because my parents trusted the Lord. When I was 19 years old, I had a spiritual experience with the Lord and I no longer needed the faith of my parents, I believed Him for me. I now “owned” my faith.

I’ve prayed prayers of surrender.

I’ve prayed prayers of confession.

I’ve prayed prayers of forgiveness.

I’ve prayed prayers for financial help.

I’ve prayed prayers of desperation.

I’ve prayed prayers for physical healing.

There have been seasons of my life when my prayers didn’t seem to make it past the ceiling in my house. There have been other times when I felt like my head was resting on the shoulder of Jesus. I do believe that prayer changes things. Prayer changes my perspective. Prayer calls upon the Lord to become involved in my world. Prayer reaffirms my dependence upon the Lord.

I came across a passage in revelation that referenced he “prayers of the saints” and it struck a chord with me. It made me ponder prayer and how it “smells” to the Lord. Check this out…

⁸ When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (Revelation 5:8 CSB)

I was reminded of a simple worship song recorded a few years ago by Matt Redman.

The Prayers of The Saints by Matt Redman

Are the prayers of the saints like sweet smelling incense,
Are the prayers of the saints like sweet smelling incense
To Your heart, to Your heart?

Let these prayers of the saints be sweet smelling incense,
Let these prayers of the saints be sweet smelling incense
To Your heart

Are the songs of the saints like sweet smelling incense,
Are the songs of the saints like sweet smelling incense
To Your heart, to Your heart?

Let these songs of the saints be sweet smelling incense,
Let these songs of the saints be sweet smelling incense
To Your heart.

I want the prayers from my heart and mouth to be sweet smelling incense to the Lord. I want His Agenda to become my agenda rather than have my agenda become His. I want my life to be a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord.

Pressing On!

Dwayne