BY GREG CRUM

“And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;” Revelation 5:8-9

What do an aerosol can of air freshener, a stick of antiperspirant, and a scented candle have in common? If you said that all three claim to better the smell of the locations to which they are applied, you are correct! What does that have to do with the passage in Revelation written above? Read on and you shall see!

Brothers and sisters, not that you need reminded of this point, but sometimes some things in this life stink! The devil, fallen man, and our unrenewed minds and fallen nature conspire to try to fill our lives with the dirtiest of diapers and sweaty armpits. That cohort of Axis Powers tries to make our work environment smell like a backed-up septic system and our home life like months-old milk left out in a summer’s sun.

Now, a lot of people just accept these situations as necessary evils of living on the Earth, but what if I told you there was a Godly solution to this stink? Would you believe it? Would you employ the solution to your life?

There is a spiritual equivalent to air freshener, deodorant, and scented candles. What is it? According to Revelation 5:8, it’s the prayers of the saints! There it states that our prayers can be like “vials full of odours,” or incense. What is this but the old-fashioned equivalent to your favorite “make the room smell better” product?

Most Christians realize that prayer is important and that, in fact, our communication with God is vital to a healthy, growing relationship with Him, but did you realize that as a byproduct your prayer can also sweeten the smell of the environments that you live in? Our prayer is one avenue God uses to make our lives “smell” better. Who would have thought that the solution to that stinky situation you are in is to pray that foul odor away?

Of course, praying is the last thing the devil wants you to do when you are in the middle of a mess. He hates it when believers pray and take their authority on the Earth. Why? Because faith-filled prayer changes our environment for the better! Remember Matthew 18:18-20? There it reminds us of the power of heartfelt prayer. It reveals that it doesn’t take a large crowd for Jesus to show up and begin to bring the will of Heaven to Earth, just a couple in agreement expressed through prayer and things start smelling much better and fast!

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.