Prayer That Changes Heaven

In Revelation, chapter eight, John describes a scene in heaven after the seals have been broken on the scrolls that tell the story of sin and violence in the human race and God’s judgement.

A remarkable thing happens. John writes that “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1). An angel with a golden censer comes to the altar to offer much incense, a representation of prayers being offered from the earth. “The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand” (Revelation 8:4). After this, there were great acts of judgement—represented by rumbling of thunder, flashing of lightning, and great earthquakes. The most striking thing, however, is the fact that this is in response to the prayers of the saints.

We usually think of events on earth being interrupted by actions taken in heaven. Here it is the other way around. Heaven comes to a standstill. The songs and praises of the heavenly hosts come to a complete stop. Why is this? Someone is praying. This should be a great comfort to us. The prayers of the saints—yours and mine—rise before God and they are heard. The prayers of real human beings interrupt heaven.

History doesn’t belong to the powerful, the wealthy, the rulers, the media, or the corporations. They do what they do on their own and it may look impressive at this time. The day will come when all human actions will be tossed on the garbage heap of the past.

History belongs to the intercessors, to those who pray the future into being. Intercession is what Jesus is doing right now. “It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us” (Romans 8:34). Jesus’ teaching ministry lasted for a mere three years, but His intercessory ministry has been going on for over two-thousand years.