The Fragrance That Rises
Drawing in a deep breath, followed by a slight hold and then a slow release outward, the fragrant aroma fills the holy place.
The incense represents the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8; 8:3–5). Prayer and worship belong to our God alone. When worship is directed toward any other, it becomes idolatry.
Prayer is not cast into the air as an empty ritual to make us feel pious. It rises before God. Our prayers come into His presence. Great is our God.
As the smell of the incense lingers in the air, our prayers and praise remain before the Lord.
In the Gospel, Jesus Christ Himself gave us a prayer (Matthew 6:9–15). The more we behold this prayer, the more we begin to see its depth. It is not merely words to repeat, but a revelation of order, desire and communion with God.
The Name of God
Our Hearts Drawn Upward
The prayer begins by focusing on the One to whom we pray:
“Our Father in Heaven.”
The first request is that His Name be made holy. Before our needs are spoken, before our concerns are brought forward, our attention is directed toward God Himself.
We are called to love Him above all. This is reflected in prayer itself. The first movement is toward His glory, His reputation and His honour. Prayer begins with God.
Whatever we seek in prayer should first be for Him. His Name, His benefit and His sake above our own desires. Our hearts are drawn upward before they are drawn inward.
The Kingdom
Citizens of Another Kingdom
“Your Kingdom come.”
The Kingdom of God is His dominion, His rule and authority. Scripture speaks of the coming Kingdom where the Lord Jesus Christ will rule. God does not forget His promises. The day is coming when His rule will be fully revealed upon the earth.
The curse will be lifted. The King will reign in righteousness.
As Christians, we are called into this Kingdom even now. We long for His rule and ask for it in prayer. Though the fullness is still to come, there is also a sense in which His Kingdom is already at hand. We belong to Him and represent Him before the world.
We are ambassadors of the coming King. We long to see the Kingdom of our Lord, and we love to proclaim His victory and His works. We have been called out from this world and given new citizenship in His Kingdom.
We proclaim His truth and seek to live according to His ways because His Kingdom is not merely a future reality, but already begins to shape those who belong to Him.
The Will of God
Resting in His Wisdom
“Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
God has a will, and He has revealed His will. We seek His will because we trust Him. Faith throws itself upon God and learns to rest in His wisdom.
Prayer is not merely the pursuit of our own desires, but the surrendering of ourselves before His purposes. We ask for His will because we desire to please Him. We ask Him to establish His ways within us and around us.
Even when we do not fully understand His ways, we trust Him.
Daily Bread
Dependence Upon Our Father
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Only after the prayer has first turned toward God — His Name, His Kingdom and His will — do we ask for our own needs.
Even here we are taught dependence.
We ask for daily bread. We ask for what is needed for today. This reflects a heart that trusts God rather than itself. If we truly seek His Kingdom and His will, then we also trust His provision.
He is infinitely more wise than we are, seeing all possible outcomes, and He loves us perfectly. We can therefore rest in peace knowing that when He allows hardship or withholds something we desire, He does so with purpose. We can trust Him.
Our Father knows what we need. He provides according to His will, and He does so faithfully.
Forgiveness
Drawn Near Together
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
We ask God for forgiveness while also being reminded that those who are forgiven should become forgiving people.
Christ has gathered us near to Himself, and in doing so He has also drawn us nearer to one another. We can rejoice in this enlarged family — those whom Christ loves — and together grow deeper in the love of Christ through communion with one another.
Pride lifts itself upward, but grace humbles the heart.
To forgive others is not to deny evil, but to remember the mercy that was shown to us.
We reflect Christ because we belong to Him. Those who have received mercy should walk in mercy.
Temptation
Preserved From Evil
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
God does not tempt us, as James teaches (James 1:13). Yet we pray for preservation from evil and from the snares of sin.
We do not trust in our own strength. We know the weakness of the flesh and the reality of temptation. Because of this, we place our dependence upon God.
We desire holiness. We ask Him to preserve us and strengthen us. Sanctification is not accomplished through human effort alone, but through the power and grace of God working within His people.
Glory
Returning to God
The prayer closes once more with God Himself.
“For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”
Prayer begins with God and returns to God. We ask many things, yet above all we seek His glory.
His Kingdom.
His power.
His Name.
All things are directed toward Him.
Reflection Before God
We bring requests, concerns and desires before God, yet sometimes rarely pause to behold the One in whose presence we stand.
The prayer given by Christ draws our attention upward again. It teaches us to seek God before ourselves. It teaches surrender, trust and dependence.
This is not written to condemn, but to invite reflection.
Be still before God. Know that He is God. Seek His will and commune with Him.
Saved Unto Communion
We were not saved merely to escape punishment. We were saved unto God.
Through Jesus Christ we are justified, cleansed and brought near. We are called into communion with our Father. Prayer is part of this communion.
We seek Him because we belong to Him.
Though remnants of sin remain within us, we struggle toward holiness through His power. We seek to know Him, commune with Him and walk before Him.
We are not merely servants standing at a distance, but children brought near through Christ.
The Journey Toward Communion
In this larger progression we first beheld the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and justification through Him. From there we considered sanctification and the cleansing work of God within His people. We looked toward truth and nourishment through His revealed Word.
Now we arrive at prayer. Forgiven, cleansed, shining with His light and nourished by His Word, we bring to Him a sweet-smelling offering of prayer.
There are many forms of prayer within Scripture, yet at the centre remains this call: seek God, seek His will and commune with Him.
We ask Him to establish His will within our lives and among His people. Draw near to Him, for He has first drawn near to us through Jesus Christ.