Revelation 5:8 says, “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”

Revelation 8:3-4 says, “3And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.”

One of the pieces of furniture that was in the Tabernacle of Moses and was a mirror reflection of what Moses saw in heaven was the golden altar of incense. In Moses’ Tabernacle, it sit in the inner court, more towards the center because this was how he saw it in heaven. Also, the pieces of furniture which were laid out in the Tabernacle formed a cross, and the golden altar of incense would be located at the center. It is perfect reflection of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In this case, it would be located at His heart, meaning that He prayed with His heart, or, better yet, His heart was centered upon prayer!

In Psalm 141:2, David referred to prayer as being incense before God. It is a sweet aroma to the nostrils of our LORD. According to Revelation 5:8 and 8:3-4, an angel carried the prayers of ALL saints before the LORD in golden vials of incense, and the smoke of it ascended up to God. In Revelation 6:9-10, the Bible teaches that underneath this altar was the martyred saints who cried unto God for their vengeance for their blood being shed as a result of standing on the Word of God! Therefore, this paints a perfect picture of how God hears the prayers of His saints, both of whom are dead and alive, and the angels of the LORD carry those prayers to God, as well as bring answers back from Him, which was revealed to Daniel when the angel faced resistance from the principality of the Prince of Persia (Daniel 10:13).

This gives us the confidence today to know that God hears our prayers when we pray from the heart. Although the enemy may try to fight with resistance by not allowing us to hear an answer from the LORD, when we continue to be persistent in fasting and prayer, we will get exactly what we need from the LORD. The devil cannot do anything with a believer who is spiritually determined to reach the throne room of heaven! Those prayers do not die, and although the enemy may want you to think that God heard you, He heard you the first time that you prayed. It goes as incense before Him! He loves the sweet aroma of your conversation before and unto Him. It is time to keep the fire of prayer burning on our altars again, and when we do, we will see breakthrough and revival once again and in a manner like we have never seen it before!