Intercession: The Throne Ministry # 8

The Throne Ministry (continued)

Beloved, it is mainly through prayer that God has given us the privilege of participating in the ages, whether past, present, or future. It is said in Revelation 8:3 and 4 that prayer has  great part in the preordained works of God, and that the prayers of God's people of all ages will be a great instrument used even at the time of God's judgment - the time when God sets all things into His Divine Order, just as He had ever intended them to be.

"And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And 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. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand" (Revelation 8:1-4).

We cannot explain all that this portion of scripture means, but we will humbly ask the Lord to reveal to us by His Holy Spirit the true value He Himself places upon prayer. And is this not enough to move us to engage in prayer, knowing that our prayers can have a portion in the ministry of the Throne of God? And is it not enough to know that our prayers have to do wit the great work of the heavenly golden altar, which speaks of the perpetual intercession that is continuing throughout all the ages through our Great High Priest, for this altar is before (in the presence of) the Throne.

Revelation 8:3 tells us that the prayers of all the saints, which are devoted toward God's End and His Way, are offered upon the golden altar before the Throne - the golden altar which represents the Throne Ministry of our Great High Priest. And in some infinite way, by the marvelous design of God, these prayers as they are offered with the incense (the incense being symbolic of the crushing that Christ suffered upon the Cross), these prayers have a portion in the ever-continuing High Priestly Intercession of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.

And, beloved, the Word in Revelation 8 also tells us that our prayers (whether we are conscious of it or not), our prayers prayed in the Spirit, our prayers that are directed toward God's End and God's Way, are accumulated by God with the prayers of all the saints from each and every age. And does this not explain in some measure that interesting phrase used by the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 6;18, when He speaks of "ALL PRAYER"; "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit!" 

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 9)