The prayers of the saints
Revelation 8:1-5
8 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
The seventh seal is opened to reveal seven angels who are given seven trumpets. I imagine the book of Revelation to be a wide spiral staircase – the 7 seals are the first round of the spiral staircase – now the 7 angels and trumpets will take us around again, covering the same ground but higher up the staircase. John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is not seeking to provide a timeline, rather the objective is to deepen the understanding of readers so that they would know how to live in such difficult times.
The seventh seal of the scroll is opened and there is silence. Silence usually means awe and wonder – people are awed into silence. That in the presence of the awesome God of power and might, human beings have nothing to say. That certainly is part of what is going on in this passage.
But is there more? The silence is in heaven – does that mean heaven is silent as it listens to “the prayers of all the saints” (vs. 3). The prayers of the saints that we first met back in Rev. 6:10 – are heard again. In the silence of heaven the prayers of the people of God join with God in participating in the bringing about of his reign. The angel takes incense from the altar and the prayers of the saints and that mixture is thrown onto the earth. The prayers of the people of God and the presence of God work together to bring about the reign of God.
In our prayers we participate with God in God’s coming reign. Our prayers commit ourselves to leaning into what God is doing in bring the transformation of the world. It is not just “thoughts and prayers” it is active engagement with God in the restoration and renewal of the world.
PRAYER:
We rejoice, O Lord, that our prayers are joined with your action to being about the world you desire. In our prayers and thoughts and actions may we lean into the kingdom you are bringing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.