Well, unfortunately another little woodland creature decided to die inside the wall of Pastor Jerry’s office and reek out our entire building on our church property. It’s the second time this has happened in the past couple of months (Jerry’s office both times), and each time the little animal’s demise has sent us staff members scurrying for nice smelling candles and fans.

Sometimes the only answer for a bad smell is a sweeter one.

And that is one of the purposes of prayer.

In Psalm 141:2 David compared prayer to incense when he said, “May my prayer be set before you as incense.” And in Acts 10:4 an angel said to Cornelius, “Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before the Lord.” In Revelation 5:8 John saw “golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.”

In addition to being a means of communicating with God, our prayers are like incense offerings that ascend before Him.

How much of that incense permeates your life? Is heaven scented by the fragrance of your prayers? Or is the atmosphere of your life suffocating and stale? Sometimes we need to pray–not for miracles or answers from heaven, but to release the pleasing power of incense that’s locked inside our prayers.