Folks who hold to God, who turn their thoughts beyond themselves, ever hope to attract the Lord’s kindly attention.

King David wrote of this desire: I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense, may the lifting of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

David’s prayers and worship rose to the Lord like incense. Revelation chapter five also describes the prayers of the saints as incense, swirling around the throne of God.

But prayers aren’t the only thing rising. Asaph, begging the Lord to show up and defeat those who oppress the people of the Lord, closed one of his psalms this way: Rise up, God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long. Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies which rises continually.

The appeals of the saints rise to the Lord, along with the racket of those who oppose him. It’s comforting to know the Lord catches both. No one escapes his notice, good or bad.

Sweet smelling incense, or the din of unrelenting clamor—how might the Lord recognize you and me from his throne?

Psalm 141 & 74 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Enache Georgiana