Every day for the last four days, friends have talked with me about waiting: for medical reports, for more tests, for reader responses to a book just written, for a return phone call, for something to change… And in this all, for an answer to prayer. To “see” God working in a situation.
At the same time I am working on a project in Revelation, and this is the chapter that I am in—at the same time as all these “waiting” conversations. Coincidence? I don’t think so. God’s voice? Most certainly.
1 When he 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, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
(Revelation 8:1-5)
In a vision, John saw that when the seventh seal was opened, there was silence in heaven for about thirty minutes. It seems some sort of climax had been reached. On earth, conflict was raging between good and evil, and the groups of 1st century Christians all over the Roman Empire were immersed in the battle. They were scorned, minimized, and persecuted. The believers had little money, place, or prestige in Roman culture. So, what did this rag-tag army of Jesus followers do? They prayed.
Note: A censer is a vessel suspended by chains and used for burning incense. The censer is swung toward something or somone, so that smoke from the burning incense travels in that direction. Burning incense represents the prayers of the church rising towards heaven.
Image by Mathias Griebhammer from Pixabay
Was there was silence in heaven in order to hear those prayers?
The angel mixed the prayers of the Christ-followers with incense (which cleansed them from impurities) and combined them with fire (the Holy Spirit) from the altar. The angel then put everything that he had mixed together into the censer and threw it back onto the earth (Revelation 8:3-5).
What was the message of this imagery? All the followers of Jesus, from the persecuted Christians in the 1st century until today and tomorrow, are reminded of the power and potency of prayer because of Who hears and answer.
As you wait, keep on praying knowing that God is listening. In a noisy world, where all are talking, yelling, posting, fighting, or defending, can we ever be heard? Where can we find someone who listens carefully, thoughtfully, and even lovingly? The first verse of Revelation 8 tells us, “God listens:” to everything we say, every groan, every murmur, every childish or churlish attempt at prayer. God listens.
Prayer (in the Spirit) is referred to Revelation 1:10, and the next explicit reference to prayer is found in Revelation 6:9-11 as the suffering and slain followers of Jesus cry out and ask “How long?” In Revelation 8, we find out that not only is God listening, but important, heavenly things are being done as the suffering ones wait. Out of the silence of heaven, actions are prepared. The prayers are not simply stored on the altar, they are mixed with the fire of the Holy Spirit, and returned to earth! God gathers our cries, our prayers, our petitions, and our intercessions, and He uses them. The prayers that ascended to heaven now descend to earth
Kathleen S Evenhouse 