pray without ceasing (part 2)

"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."  (Revelation 4:8)

How long, do you suppose, has that been going on in heaven?  Think about it: "they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty...".  Those beings were in heaven long before God created man on the earth.  And those heavenly beings are still crying out, at this very moment, in the throne room of heaven: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!  Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come!  Holy, holy, holy...".

In our pathetic way of thinking, we are tempted to wonder whether God may not ever get tired of listening to that endless praising of His Name.  We are all familiar with the expression, "...like a broken record".  We quickly tire of too much of the same kind of thing.

But not God; not when it agrees with His will.  "Pray without ceasing," is more than mere instruction; it is more even than a commandment: it is an invitation for us to boldly enter into the Presence of God, where God will never weary of hearing our voice in prayer and praise.

We have a little angel doll which was given to our daughter, years ago, by a very special friend of ours.  That doll was made with a voice recorder concealed within its body.  It is only capable of recording a few seconds of sound.  When we asked our daughter to say something--which we intended to record, she let out with a high-pitched, musical-sounding "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah".  That was about ten years ago.  But I still keep that little angel doll sitting atop our bed, to ensure its safe-keeping.  Why?  Well, because it has my daughter's voice preserved within it.  And I promise you, it grows more precious to me with every passing year.  I would not take any amount of money for that angel doll; as it has something (still very real to me,) of my daughter in it!

Do you know that God has every prayer we have ever prayed, preserved in "golden vials" in heaven?   Hey! hey! hey! it's the truth!  And not any "ordinary" angels have the responsibility of taking care of those golden vials.  Moreover, God evidently calls for our prayers to be brought before Him, repeatedly.  (I never get tired of listening to that little "Aaaaa...".)

Let us approach--with great joy and profound reverence--to view God seated upon His throne:

Lightnings flash from out of that throne--nonstop!! while great thunders roll and crash!! and a multitude of voices--not "muttering and peeping", but like mighty fountains of the great deep, broken up and pouring out, issue forth perpetually, proclaiming, declaring, exalting, praising, thanking, worshiping, the everlasting and Almighty Lord God.

As a vast host of heavenly beings fall upon their faces before the throne of the Great King, crying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come!  Holy! holy! holy!...."

(Is that the environment we enter when we come before God in prayer?  I must confess, I know very little, experientially, about that--except, by revelation.)

The Bible actually takes notice of one particular time, when there will be "silence in heaven".  That must be an extraordinary event, indeed, for which reason heaven shall then be called to solemn silence.  Scripture speaks of nothing else like it.  That silence shall last a very brief time--(the Bible says, "about half an hour").  Yet, when you understand (according to Scripture) something of the "normal" condition of heaven, that brief period of time appears profound in its significance!  For, it occurs in direct connection with . . . 

the homecoming of the saints, at the Rapture.

Doesn't your spirit soar, at the thought of it?  How that all of heaven (even the lightnings and thunderings from the throne of God, evidently) shall momentarily cease in utter silence.  Hush! the saints of God are arriving!!!  O! will you look at them?!  God's children . . . O! look! Jesus is leading them in!!

Virtually "all" of the angels of God will then be present in heaven (Revelation 7:11).  You'll probably never guess what happens, next:

"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."  (Revelation 8:1-3)

All the prayers, of all the saints, shall then be offered--one last time--before the throne of God!

"This! this is why!  This is why I gave my Son!"  I can almost hear God exclaim--as great, billowing clouds of smoke, as it were, of that prayer-incense, rise up into the face of God.

"And this" (as God spreads His hands abroad toward the countless multitude of the Redeemed "of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues"), "...this is why He was willing to give Himself:  for their sakes, and for Mine."

Another mighty angel then steps forth with a censer (a pot-like vessel); fills it with fire from that very same Altar upon which the saints' prayers just were offered; and, then, "casts it into the earth".  So begins that "great and dreadful day of the LORD" -- the most prophesied event in Scripture.

In other words, the "fiery" wrath and the awful judgments of God which shall then be poured out, throughout the soon-coming Tribulation, has a very great deal to do with the prayers of the saints!  God's judgments shall be in direct answer to those our prayers, which we are praying right now!!

O! Hallelujah!  "Pray without ceasing!"  This is not the time to "fold," dear Brother, dear Sister!  NO!  This is the time to come to prayer like never before: with great boldness; with unyielding determination; with all power and authority of the Word of God; with purity of heart and mind and will; with understanding the will of God; with singleness of purpose: to destroy the works of darkness and to vindicate the glory of God!

I can hardly stop writing . . . ("Brother Whitt, pray!" )