Revelation 8:4
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS
‘The prayers of the saints.’
The language of the opening verses of this chapter is beautifully figurative of the work of our great Intercessor, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who offers or presents the prayers of the saints before the throne of God. Prayer to be acceptable to God must be offered ‘through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ What does this general ending to our prayers mean to us?
I. It is a confession of our unworthiness and sinfulness in all our words and thoughts. We claim audience only through another.
II. We recognise the great fact that there is no access to God but by Him Who is ‘ the Way.’—He was the Bearer of sin first, that He might be the Bearer of prayer always.
III. The access made, Christ took His place at God’s right hand, as High Priest of His people.
IV. In doing this, Christ makes our prayers what they were not in themselves: fit to enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. But for that, the very best prayer that ever went out of the heart of man would defile heaven; but now God perceives the incense: and just as He sees, not the sinner, but the righteousness of Christ, in which that sinner stands, so He sees, not so much the prayer as the incense which mingles with that prayer; and He is well pleased with the supplication for the incense’ sake.
V. What we do in the name of Another is the same as if that Other did it. Pray in Christ’s name, the prayer is as if Christ prayed it.