In addition to filling the lamps, the priests burned incense every morning and every evening. This second priestly duty corresponds to our daily prayers. We pray through Christ, who sits at God’s right hand acting on our behalf.
The Lord commanded, “Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations” (Exo. 30:7-8).
Incense represents prayer
Just as filling the lamps represents reading of God’s word, burning incense represents prayer to God.
David prayed, “Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psa. 141:1-2).
The golden vials full of incense are the prayers of the saints (Rev. 5:8). The angel with a golden censer was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints went up before God (Rev. 8:3-4).
As Zacharias went into the temple to burn incense, all the people were praying just outside (Lk. 1:9-10).
Regular daily prayers
The priests had a daily routine. They burned incense every morning and every evening. Following that pattern, we should pray every day at set times. This is the habit of the faithful.
Daniel kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God; he made his petition three times a day (Dan. 6:10,13).
David prayed three times a day: “As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psa. 55:16-17).
New Testament instruction
The Lord’s prayer is a daily prayer, as emphasized in our hymn: “Lord, who Thyself has bidden us to pray for daily bread, we ask Thee but for grace and strength this day our path to tread. Not for tomorrow, its uncharted road shall be our prayer; sufficient for each day our daily load, Thy daily care…So day by day Thy never-failing love our soul shall stay; so let us be content Thy love to prove, each passing day” (Hymn 105:1,2,5).
Paul prayed night and day, “For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; night and day praying exceed-
ingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?” (I Thess. 3:9-10; cp. II Tim. 1:3).
Spontaneous prayer
Besides regular, more formalized, times of prayer, scripture also encourages us to pray whenever the immediate situation prompts it. Here are four examples of the many that could be given.
Miriam had become a leper for speaking against Moses. Under these circumstances, “Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, 0 God, I beseech thee” (Num. 12:13).
Blinded and bound in the Philistine temple, “Samson called upon the Lord, and said, 0 Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes” (Jdg. 16:28).
Dreading the impending meeting with his brother, Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude” (Gen. 32:9-12).
On the cross Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34).
These spontaneous prayers were each prompted by the immediate circumstances. There was no need to wait for a more formal setting for the prayer. In fact, Jesus tells the parable of the importunate woman “to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Lk. 18:1).
Jesus Christ our high priest
Prayer reminds us of Christ because he is our high priest and spiritual helper.
“Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb. 2:17,18).
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16).
Boldness in prayer
Through Christ we have access by faith unto grace. Through him we should have boldness to enter into the holiest. “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One