During Monday night’s OC Bereans Bible study we made an interesting discovery …
In Revelation 8:3-5, an angel holding a golden censer offers up incense, along with “the prayers of all the saints,” to God on His throne. This same angel then fills the censer with fire from the altar and hurls it to the earth, launching horrific “seven trumpet judgments.”
Could it be that these prayers somehow trigger God’s judgments on the earth? When coupled with the prayers of martyred saints in Revelation 6:9-10 this appears to be the case …
“How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
Grant R. Osborne, author of Revelation, makes the case that since these prayers are mixed with incense, it shows that they are acceptable to God and please Him. In fact, it can be argued that these “imprecatory” prayers are not only in keeping with God’s will (Rom. 12:19), but they may even have a place in the life of a disciple.
“Such prayers allow us to place our deep hurts before God and know that He will deal justly with those who have mistreated us.”
The Old Testament reinforces this truth, primarily through King David’s numerous imprecatory prayers in the Psalms.
During our study, Brent correctly observed that these martyred saints are now in the presence of God’s throne room, and therefore, need no longer be concerned with the vicissitudes of everyday life on earth … the what, you say?! … the normal “ups & downs” of life … braces for the kids … inking that corporate contract … studying for a final exam … healing from a viral infection … these and all the other things that we pray for daily. These saints, now in God’s presence, don’t need to worry about such mundane issues, but can effectively pray …
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
The bottom line to all of this is what Bill quoted to us from an unknown source: “Prayer is the engine driving the plan of God towards completion.”
Wow! …we participate in God’s redemptive plans for the world via prayer!
Hope to see you Monday night at 7 pm when we will uncover additional gems from the book of Revelation.
Shalom!
~ tr
OC Bereans 
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