Prayer

O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come.
Psalm 65:2

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
Psalm 145:18

Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 5:8

Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand.
Revelation 8:3-4

Why pray? What benefit do we gain from prayer? What benefit does God gain from our prayers? After all, God is sovereign, He already knows the beginning and the end, and our prayers won't change that, will they? These are some of the most common questions people have about prayer.

Through prayer we understand our utter dependence upon God, and we learn to fellowship with Him - to speak to Him "face to face." Our prayers to God are precious; God keeps them bottled in golden bowls of incense which will one day ascend before Him.

For so many, it is hard in the daily rush of life to find time for prayer, other than quick prayers at meal times. What a tragedy for the Christian; I know of no greater way to strengthen my faith than to simply fall before God in prayer. It was so important to Daniel, that he took time out from his daily activities three times each day (I doubt if he was just praying before his meals!) With prayer comes the great peace that passes all understanding; the ability to simply lay all of our burdens upon Christ, who gladly carries them for us.

Little did I know that I would need that great peace and confidence in God to face the trials he has sent to my family for several months now. If I listed them all, you would think I was making it up. God often takes us through great valleys to teach us that nothing (nothing!) matters but Christ; He is all we need! I'm a very slow learner! It is really hard to let go of everything; and yet, the more I let go, the greater the peace that fills my heart and soul.

God loves us so much that He bottles up our prayers - turns them into fragrant incense! Just think of that! Do our prayers matter to God? Does He really hear us when we pray? He not only hears our prayers but keeps a permanent record of them. God always answers prayer - we may not ever understand or realize His answer, but make no mistake, God answers prayer as He guides His Saints to His kingdom. While on earth, He never lets go.

Pray to God today! Fill up those bowls of incense with prayers of praise and thanksgiving to Him. What an awesome God we have!