They were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.

— Revelation 5:8

Did you know that our prayers are like a scented offering to the Lord? Imagine God sitting on his throne, inhaling all of our prayers. He is surrounded by four creatures that are beyond our imagining, and by 24 elders who represent all of his people redeemed by Jesus, the Lamb of God. The amazing creatures and the elders hold out bowls of fragrant offerings to God, and these represent all of our prayers.We might not usually think of scents when we consider God’s holiness or God’s presence, but perhaps we need to. We know that God created the nose of the bloodhound, which is about 50 times more sensitive than our own. So perhaps we can imagine God deeply breathing in the most attractive scent in the universe— our prayers. He takes a deep breath and smiles. God loves us more than we can imagine, and he delights in hearing whatever we have to say. Whether we express joy or thanks or wonder or sadness or grief or concern or anxiety, the God who loves us is always eager to hear us.We can imagine that our prayers give God a scent more satisfying than fresh-baked bread or fresh-cut flowers. Our prayers are precious scents, offered to God in golden bowls.Did you know that your prayerful thoughts and words are enjoyed as the loveliest of scents in the highest heaven?

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, accept our offerings of prayer. May they be a pleasing scent to you as you sniff out what we truly need. Thank you, Lord, for hearing all our prayers. Amen.