BOWLS OF INCENSE
Prayer is something central to human life. Nearly all humans instinctively pray to some kind of higher being, even atheists pray when under threat of death, yet as Christian or Messianic believers do we really understand the power of prayer?
I do believe that the impulse to pray is a God given gift to all humankind, so why then do I find it so difficult to be constant and serious in my prayer life? I know I am erratic at best, often neglecting to pray until I reach some crisis point. I think one of the reasons, I and so many others, struggle with prayer is that we don't really believe in its power. We often don't see the results immediately so ,when our prayers are answered, we don't remember or notice. Then what about all those times when it seems that our prayers merely bounce off the ceiling without result?
The apostle Paul exhorted us to pray always saying,
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4: 6-7
What a great promise this verse holds. If we can only take all our worries and concerns to the Lord in prayer, we can know that perfect peace even in the most distressing of times. Yet how often do we experience this 'peace that passes all understanding'? Why do we allow the busyness of this world and its constant distractions to prevent us from praying as we ought? Why do so many of us, myself included, persist in trying to solve our own, and the world's, problems in our own strength?
I think one of the reasons I so often fail in prayer is that I often don't truly believe that my prayers matter. Does God really hear my prayers? Why do I need to bring my worries to Him when He, the all-knowing God, must know about them anyway? And yet apparently He wants us to pray. That's a mystery.
In the Book of Revelation we see some answers. In two parts of John's revelation we see golden bowls of incense rising up before God and these are identified as the prayers of the saints.
Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; 2 and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 4 And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. 8 When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 They sing a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;
10 you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving[our God,
and they will reign on earth.”
and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;
10 you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving[our God,
and they will reign on earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 singing with full voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!”
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 5
When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
Revelation 8: 1-5
 |
| https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WvJumQjvJTc/hqdefault.jpg |
In the verses I have highlighted we can see how the prayers of the saints were mixed with fire from heaven and brought about acts of great power on Earth. Our prayers, somehow, in a way I do not fully understand, have prophetic power in the heavenly realm, and God uses these, mixed with his own power, to work great things on Earth. We should not therefore underestimate the importance and power of our prayers.
Some years ago I would often walk past a photography shop on my way to work. It puzzled me as it was always closed and yet it had no air of abandonment about it. Then one night, coming home at a very late hour, I walked past this shop and was surprised to see lights shining inside. Then I saw several small children being taken into this shop. Suddenly it dawned on me that this was a place where child pornography films were being made. I prayed that God would destroy this shop and save the children from this abomination. I got a big shock the next morning when I read in the newspaper that a fire had broken out in the shop later that night and razed it to the ground. Thankfully all the people inside, including the children, managed to escape through a window. That shook me, and made me realize that I must not be casual about my prayers, they are effective and powerful. We can never know what effect they may have.
This week too, here in Jerusalem, we saw again the effective power of prayer. In my last post I wrote about the Tomorrowland Electronic Music Festival which took place in here in Jerusalem last Saturday. Much prayer went up here and all around the world against this demonic event. It worked. In an auditorium that seats 15,000 only 1,132 turned up and the concert was delayed about 1 1/2 hours because of technical problems with the satellite feed from Belgium, so most of the live-feed concert was missed. You could say it was the greatest non-event of the year. It did not even get a mention in the following day's press. Hallelujah and thank you to all who prayed. For a fuller report go to: https://kehilanews.com/2016/07/25/update-on-prayer-about-occult-music-festival-tomorrowland-in-jerusalem/
God is all powerful and, for some reason I do not understand, He has decided to work through the prayers of his people. I thank you, all who pray for this nation, Israel, and the great work that God is bringing about through your prayers bringing the whole world to final redemption. We do not need to fear the attacks of the Enemy, which will come, but we do need to keep praying and working with God to overcome this Enemy and his works. Our prayers have more power than we can ever imagine.
This week in Jerusalem has been relatively quiet as we swelter under the full blast of the summer heat. At night the colorfully lit and decorated streets are full of families and groups of friends wandering about enjoying the cool air, or gathering at cafes, restaurants and parks. It all has a rather festive air. Today I visited my local shopping mall and saw there, to my amazement, what must be the tiniest ice skating rink in the world. The kids seemed to be enjoying it anyway.
Of course under it all the forces of evil are constantly trying to destroy our life here. Terror attempts continue though more and more are being thwarted, our borders are uneasy with the rumors of war, ISIS is on our doorstep and infiltrating the minds of our young Arab people, and Iran is actively supporting it all. There is always tension and anxiety in the air, but Israelis are tough, resilient people who in spite of all not only survive but flourish.
Attacks by lone-wolf terrorists, in the wave of terror that began last October, are diminishing. We are seeing fewer attempts, and of those more and more are being thwarted. As of the end of June, 38 Israelis have been killed and another 290 injured, in some 2000 separate attacks, according to the figures released by the Shin Bet security services. In June there were only (!) 103 attacks compared to 620 at the height of the terror wave last October.
Why the drop? Of course I put it down to the power of prayer, but also we must give a lot of credit to our security forces, the police and soldiers, and vigilant civilians too. Fewer and fewer attacks are successful and this in itself serves as a deterrent. As Shlomo Brom, a retired Brigadier General and an analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies put it, "There is a limit to the number of even frustrated young people who are willing to give their life and to achieve nothing. So it makes sense that over time, the numbers of attacks are fewer and fewer.” Keep praying for attacks to fail, for the vigilance of our security forces and the general public. As the risk decreases so does our vigilance often and we cannot afford to let down our guard.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-has-had-success-against-lone-wolf-terrorists-heres-how/
One of the terror wave hotspots has been road 443, the main road between Modi'in and Jerusalem, which has experienced dozens of attacks. This is one of just two main arterial links between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv region and about 15km of it passes through the West Bank. The road is is overlooked by Palestinian villages on either side, and runs near Ramallah. I used to use this road in preference to Highway 1 which is dangerously busy, winding and steep, made even more dangerous by long-term roadworks being carried out. Since the terror wave began however I, like many others, have been avoiding travel on route 443. The speed limit on that road is 120kph and at that speed even a small rock hitting a windshield can be deadly. This week I was pleased to learn that the IDF will be stepping up its surveillance on this road by installing some 255 new day and night vision cameras and two more surveillance balloons to supplement the existing one. Some 50-70 combat soldiers already patrol the road at all times. Perhaps soon I will feel able to use that road again!
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4832520,00.html
 |
| Route 443 http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.671235.1439629479!/image/736903263.jpg_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/736903263.jpg |
Another topic for fervent prayer is the upcoming elections in the West Bank. In October both local and municipal elections will be held in the West Bank, currently controlled by the Palestinian Authority, and the terror organization, Hamas, has decided to participate in these elections in order to gauge Palestinian public opinion. In addition Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, will also be holding internal elections towards the end of the year. It would be a disaster for the Palestinian people if Hamas were to gain control of the West Bank as well as Gaza, but widespread dissatisfaction with the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) may make this a possibility. These elections could precipitate much internal unrest and social chaos in the West Bank and such conditions would encourage the growing influence of Day'ish ( ISIS), especially the amongst the dissatisfied youth. Of course Israel would not be too happy to have Hamas in power in the West Bank.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4832520,00.html
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4832520,00.html
Finally here are some links to some YouTube videos you might find informative and interesting:
The Wall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ph9g39muwo
Video about 10 misconceptions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtGOY8T5XE
What happens to aid money https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJdQ7Bx0av4
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
