Day and night, Let incense arise.

This is a beautiful and powerful image of unceasing prayer and worship, rising to God like a fragrant offering. It calls to mind the perpetual incense before the Lord in the Tabernacle and the prayers of the saints in Revelation.

Here is a poem and a meditation on this theme.

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Let Incense Arise

Not just in the morning’s golden break, Not just for the blessings we can take, But in the night,when shadows fall, Upon You,O Lord, we call.

Day and night, let incense arise, A constant fragrance to the skies. Not from a censer made of gold, But from a story to be told— The story of a heart that prays, Through all the nights and all the days.

In the Old Tent, a command was given, A symbol of the prayers of heaven: “You shall put it before the veil… where I will meet with you. It shall be to you holy for the Lord.”(Exodus 30:36)

But now the veil is torn in two, This privilege is mine and yours to do. Our very lives can be the flame, That glorifies His holy name. “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”(Psalm 141:2)

So let the incense rise in joy, And when the enemy would destroy. Let it rise in grateful praise, And in the hardest,darkest ways.

Let it rise from busy hands, In obedience to His commands. Let it rise from quiet trust, When life is crumbling into dust.

“Another angel… came and stood at the altar, with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers… before God.”(Revelation 8:3-4)

Day and night, a ceaseless stream, More than a momentary dream. A life lived as a holy prayer, In every moment,everywhere.

So I will offer all I am, The Great I AM,the spotless Lamb. My work,my rest, my laugh, my tears, My hopes,my loves, my secret fears.

Let them be kindled by Your fire, To form the incense of desire. A desire for Your will,Your face, Your everlasting love and grace.

Day and night, let incense arise. Let it be a sweet surprise To Heaven’s King,who bends His ear To every whispered prayer He hears.

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How This Prayer Becomes Reality:

This call for unceasing incense is a call to a life of pervasive prayer. It can be lived out through:

1. Dedicated Times: Setting aside specific times for prayer and reading Scripture (the "day" moments).

2. Breath Prayers: Short, simple prayers offered throughout the day ("Jesus, have mercy," "Thank You, Father," "Your will be done").

3. Prayerful Awareness: Doing all tasks—work, chores, caring for others—as an act of worship offered to God.

4. Trust in the Night: Turning to God with honest cries and trusting silence during times of anxiety, pain, or insomnia (the "night" moments).

5. The Spirit's Help: Remembering that we are not alone in this. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26). He is the one who makes our prayers a sweet incense to the Father.