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The prayers of those with burning hearts become a true fragrance to the Lord. Our heartfelt prayers fill the golden bowls in heaven. As we study the Scripture, we see a loving Father who describes passionate prayers as “a sweet-smelling savor” (2 Cor. 2:15). That’s His way of saying how pleased He is when we worship the Lord with ALL our hearts, in no rush to leave.

Sincere, loving prayer and worship is an exquisitely beautiful thing rising from the golden altars where saints with burning hearts romance the divine. They keep the Lord company, speaking to Him as a lover and a friend. It doesn’t matter where they worship, whether down on their knees or in a magnificent cathedral. What gets His attention is a burning heart that cries out with sincerity, refusing to leave until it’s made a real connection with the Most High. When He finds someone that fits that description, a sweet fragrance wafts toward the throne, and He leans over glory to inhale again. He takes it in and smiles in obvious delight. Someone is offering true worship.

Are you aware that it takes about two thousand flowers to produce one gram of fragrant oil or 9,000 crushed rosebuds to produce a single ounce of perfume? In fact, when you enter a rose garden, the scent is far more powerful in the early morning hours when the dew is still on the roses. In the same way, it takes time and patience soaking in the presence of the Lord in true worship to produce the kind of fragrance that He leans down to inhale.

You might ask, “Isn’t loud, enthusiastic praise just as precious to the Lord?” Well, that depends on the spirit with which it’s given. However, we must admit that it’s easy to praise without actually connecting with the Father’s heart in true worship. That’s why it’s so vital that we examine our hearts, to make sure we’re not merely going through the motions, just to get it over with.

I can hear the Lord say:
“I see their hands and hearts lifted in intimate worship—I must draw near to such as these. I must breathe in the fragrance of that kind of worship, for I am well pleased!”

“Those that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, for God seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23). Why does He seek them? The answer is because they are so hard to find—rare specimens in today’s busy, noisy culture. Noise is cheap, while true worship is as rare and costly as real perfume. But are we willing to pay the price to be true worshipers? Will you be one of those who burns with love before the throne and lets your fragrance warm His heart?

“Let my prayer be accepted as sweet-smelling incense in your presence. Let the lifting up of my hands in prayer be accepted as an evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2).

© Steve Porter