All That Glitters Is…Prayer

This post was written by elder Steve Hutchins

Have you looked at the price of gold lately? Pretty valuable stuff.

Beginning in the Garden of Eden and throughout Scripture, gold is esteemed as a store of great value and often it is used as a metaphor for that which is to be desired. The Magi brought gold as a gift to the newborn Jesus. David tells us that the Word of God has more value than even pure gold (Ps. 19:10). Job’s hope was that he would emerge from his epic trial as gold (Job 23:10).

All this got me thinking recently as I was meditating on Revelation chapter 5. As the drama of that chapter unfolds, we find the 24 elders and the four living creatures worshipping before the throne holding golden bowls full of incense. My thought was that if these bowls are made of gold, they must have value. How much more, then, must their contents be valuable.

And what’s in them? Verse 8 tells us they’re filled with incense, which “are the prayers of the saints.” One thing that’s quite apparent from this passage is that our prayers have intrinsic value to God. Indeed, our prayers reside in those precious golden bowls. That fact alone should lead us to do more of it.

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus’ answer to that question is the text that Dennis Fuqua is using in his seminar on prayer called “Living Prayer” today and tomorrow. I hope you’ll consider investing in your prayer life, in this way, by attending.