Daily Devotional with Pastor John
Friday, February 18

When Prayer Goes Up

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 the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 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 8:3-5

All of us have questioned whether our prayers make a difference or not. We feel so puny before the political authorities on earth and the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. We can be certain the Christians of the first century would have felt the same. Rome had massive engines of persecution ranged against them. The Christians had no earthly weapons. They had no right of suffrage. They had no financial influence to change the course of events. So what could they do? What did they do? They prayed.

This passage reveals to us again the truth we considered last Sunday morning in Daniel 10, that prayer activates the angels of heaven.  The angel came and stood at the altar. He then mixed the prayers of believers with incense and “ the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” What happens next should encourage us in these times of trouble in which we feel uncertain and powerless. On many occasions I have said, “When prayer goes up; power comes down.” This is exactly what happens here. The angels takes what is in the censer and throws it down to the earth and the impact causes thunder, lightning and an earthquake.

The prayers which ascended to heaven didn’t make the news headlines. There is no media coverage of intercession and supplication.  The prayer activity of devoted disciples doesn’t register on the media or the government’s Richter scale of newsworthy importance. But  John the Apostle sees that these prayers return to the earth with immense force. Prayer re-enters history with incalculable effects. Our earth is shaken daily by humble souls who ask for daily bread.

Prayer Points

• Pray our government leaders will hear the cries of lament across our country and respond wisely and justly.
• Pray the Lord will use these times to purify our hearts and bring his church in Canada into a time of repentance, renewal and revival.
• Pray that all across Canada there will be a true turning to the God who has been ignored.