Revelation 8:1-5

8:1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar 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.

Contained in these verses is one of the most amazing pictures of prayer in all of the Scriptures and my hope is that our meditation upon this passage will be incredibly encouraging to you.

Thus far, we have read of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, opening the seven seals that held tight a scroll given to Him by the Father. The scroll contains God’s plan for the coming of His kingdom, and the opening of each seal brought about activity either on earth or in heaven. The first four brought judgment upon the earth, the fifth gave us a view of the martyrs crying out to God to avenge their deaths. The sixth painted both a picture of that judgment upon the wicked and a picture of the people of God. God’s people, having been spared from His wrath, are now in His presence with no more hunger, no more suffering, no more tears. Now we come to the seventh, and final, seal. Verse 1 tells us that, when it was broken, there was silence for about half an hour. Why?

Jewish rabbis had long claimed that the angels in heaven who sing praises to the Lord were commanded, at times, to silence themselves in order that God might hear the prayers of His people. One such teaching claimed that this what was behind the angelic beings letting down their wings in Ezekiel 1:24-25:

24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

God was said to have declared to them: “Let me give ear to the prayer of my sons.”  This idea that God silences the heavens in order that the prayers of His people seems to be what is behind what we are reading here. Why half an hour? We don’t really know. One guess is that, in keeping with other temple imagery in Revelation, it was about the length of time required for the incense to be offered by the priest while the people of God were praying at the temple.

Noticing that the prayers were of “all the saints,” this would, by definition, include your prayers. Think of the implications of this. Satan tries to convince you to not pray saying, “You are too sinful. He will not hear you. What good will it do anyway?” But we see here the reality of the matter: God calls from His throne to all the host in the heavenly throne room “Silence! That I may hear the prayers of my beloved.” Psalm 8 asks, “Who are we that God is mindful of us?” and t is a mystery too great to understand. But we see here that God is mindful of the prayers of His people. We ought, therefore, to be confident and bold in our prayers for such prayers communicate that we recognize Him to be the God who alone is Sovereign and who is able to call all of the heavenly host to silence. It also speaks to the fact that we recognize the Father’s care for us, His concern for what concerns you, and the delight He takes in your worship and devotion. Amazing.

Noting also that everything stops until the prayers of the saints are heard, we are given an indication of the place the prayers of God’s people have in the accomplishment of His work on this earth. We know that God is sovereign over all. We know that the Scriptures tell us that God’s will cannot be thwarted or resisted. If these things be so, then why do we pray? The answer is given here. God has chosen prayer to be the means by which God accomplishes His work on earth.

Think of this in the way you think of evangelism. We know that God will save the elect whose names were written in the Lamb’s book of Life. We know that God is the One who makes the first move, we love Him because He first loved us. This could lead us to ask “Why bother sharing the gospel with people if God has predestined unto salvation those whom He will indeed save?” The answer is, of course, that God has determined, in the wise counsel of His will, that the means used to bring His elect to salvation is the sharing of the gospel by His people. As Paul asks in Romans 10:14, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

In a similar manner, Jesus tells us (Matthew 6:8) that the Father knows what we need before we ask Him and we are told repeatedly that He will provide for us what we need. But James declares (James 4:2), “You do not have because you do not ask.”  God will provide but the means by which God has determined that He will provide for you is by your asking and Him answering. So it is here. What is it that moves the nations? What is it that leads to the enthroning of one as king or queen and the dethroning of another? It is God who does it, but He does it in response to the prayers of His people. In Revelation 8, the seven trumpets of God’s judgment do not blow until the saints pray. They blow in response to the prayers of God’s people. This is the power of prayer. But understand, that the types of prayers that God answers are the prayers that come from those who are seeking first His kingdom, not the prayers asked wrongly in pursuit of selfish ends (James 4:3, Matthew 5:33, John 15:7). It is the prayers of the “saints” that are lifted up as sacrifices before the LORD. This is why they are said to be placed upon the golden altar before the throne. These are the prayers that God silences the angels in order to hear: the prayers of the redeemed that are offered through the blood and the merits of Christ. However, because we are in the flesh and still sin, our prayers need assistance. That is why we read that the angels was given “much incense” to offer with the prayers of the saints. What did that do? It covers the pungency of the sacrifice with a sweet aroma. In other words, sometimes our prayers stink, but God provides incense so that what He receives is a pleasing aroma to Him. Incense, always being likened to prayer in the Scriptures, leads us to conclude that the incense represents the prayers of the Holy Spirit and of Christ which are intermingled with ours (see Romans 8:26 and Hebrews 7:25).

So, when you feel inadequate in your prayer life, the words come with difficulty, and you don’t know how to pray or what to pray for, here we have a picture of what God receives. He silences the heavens and He turns His ear to your words that are mixed with the sweet fragrance of the words of the Holy Spirit and of Christ. These, the Father receives gladly and uses to accomplish great things

But we must understand that God is discerning. He hears the prayers of His saints because He has entered into a covenant relationship with us due to our faith in Christ. Christ’s death and resurrection made the way clear for our prayers to ascend unto God. Apart from such a relationship with God, you can have no such assurance. Does God answer the prayers of those who have refused Him and His offer of grace through Christ? Sometimes He does, but He is under no obligation to. When we see the types of prayers in Revelation, we find, on the one hand, the righteous calling for vengeance and, on the other hand, the evil calling for God’s hand of judgment to be withheld. Whose prayer do you think will be answered?

Will your prayers be answered?

The only way that you can know for sure, is if you come to Christ. Your sins which are red as scarlet will be washed white as snow in the blood of the Lamb of God, you who were once far from God will be brought near, and the heavens that were once closed to you will welcome your petitions as a sweet aroma unto God!

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Questions for Discussion:

1) How does the idea of God silencing the heavens in order to hear your prayers affect you and change the way you think about prayer and the privilege we have in lifting up our prayers to the Lord?

2) Let’s consider aspects of prayer based upon a reflection of a series of passages. Read each passage below (without reading any further down) and come up with a one-word description of the quality of prayer it is describing.  Below is a list of suggested answers with questions to prompt conversation.

Matthew 6:6

Luke 18:13

Hebrews 4:16

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Matthew 15:22-28

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1) Matthew 6:6

“Secret.” Christ was less interested in the public prayers of the Pharisees who stood on the street corners to pray so that others might see them, than He was with individuals pursuing a real, intimate, relationship with God. What does praying in private guard our hearts from? In what way does praying in private enrich our prayer time? Jesus gave us an example as He would go to pray alone on a mountain. Do you have a “prayer closet”? Why do you find this place to be helpful to you? Is someone able to create a “prayer closet” when not in a private space? What have you found helpful in shutting out of the hustle and bustle of the world as we approach God in sincerity and with open hearts while out in public?  

2) Luke 18:13

“Humble.” Why did the tax collector “beat his breast”? What did it say concerning his estimation concerning himself before he even uttered a word? The tax collector admits that he is a sinner. He had nothing to boast of, but could only ask for grace. What types of prayers indicate that we are not truly humble but are still clinging to our own pride? Whom do we tend to blame in those types of prayers? Who do we tend to compare ourselves to? But what types of prayers are said by those truly humble? Why does such a prayer glorify God?

3) Hebrews 4:16

“Bold.” Humble prayer does not exclude boldness. When Isaiah cried out “Woe is me!” how is it that we can come before the throne boldly? How do bold prayers glorify Christ? Boldness means “Not holding anything back.” How does being bold counteract our tendency towards pride? Do you find boldness before the Lord easy? If not, what is it that holds you back? What do the Scriptures say to these reasons?

4) 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Thankful.” Thankfulness in prayer is often merely a formality. We tell God “thank-you” with little thought to what it is we are thankful for. How can we guard ourselves from this? Psalm 103:2 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Frans Bakker comments: “Without thinking there is no thanking.” Can you be thankful before you have received anything? How do we know that every day we will be able to pray a thankful prayer when we do not know what the coming days will bring? “All circumstances,” includes difficult circumstances as well as good. How do you strive to find things to be thankful for even in the darkest of times?  

5) Matthew 15:22-28

“Persistent.” The woman’s situation echoes that of Psalm 44 which we read this week saying (vss. 23-24): “Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?” The disciples wanted Jesus to send her away and Jesus does respond in a way that seems to indicate that He has no intentions of helping her. What was she to do now? What would you have done? She didn’t leave defeated, but she continued to make her case and Jesus is impressed with her faith. What was her response to Jesus when He noted her unworthiness? What did she say she would be satisfied with? What did she leave with? What is the message in this story to those who are discouraged and struggling?

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