What ever happen to "Sweet Hour of Prayer"

"And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon..." (Ex. 30:8-9).

In the bible incense is symbolic of the prayers of God's people (Rev. 5:8; 8:3). Just as Aaron the priest was to burn incense before the Lord in the tabernacle continually, so believers today are to offer up prayers to God that burn from their hearts. The incense that Aaron was to burn unto God was not only to be offered continually, but it was to be made of very specific ingredients. If it did not contain those ingredients, even if it was offered continually, it would be viewed by God as strange fire. 

Is the sweet incense of prayer burning in our hearts and in our churches today? Jesus said, "My fathers house shall be called a house of prayer." But sadly, God's house today is known for everything else but prayer. It's known for programs, music, and sunday morning talks, but the fire of prayer has gone out. Prayer in many churches today seems to be more of a formality to be endured than a foundation to be established.  Call for a prayer meeting and no ones shows. Whatever happen to "Sweet hour of prayer? Sweet hour of prayer has become the bitter hour of prayer.

Besides the promises of God that assure that he moves in answer to prayer, do we not have enough reason to cry out to God continually. During the early church age when Peter was thrown in prison awaiting execution Luke writes, "...but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church" (Acts 12:5). And when Peter was released in answer to "earnest prayer" he went to the church where Luke records, "many were gathered together and were praying (Acts 12:13).  

Sadly, today the last place where many Christians are gathered is in a prayer meeting. In fact, many churches have abandoned their prayer meetings. I believe one reason they have is because Christians no longer see the "benefit" of the prayer meeting. Perhaps the reason that some churches have not experienced the benefits of prayer is because what they are offering to God is not "earnest prayer" but "strange fire." Prayer that is not first offered unto God in worship, mixed with faith and fervency, will not be a sweet aroma unto God.  James wrote, "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16 KJV)

E.M. Bounds profoundly hit the nail on the head when he wrote, "Little prayer is the characteristic of a backslidden age and of a backslidden church.  Whenever there is little praying in the pulpit or in the pew, spiritual bankruptcy is imminent and inevitable. The cause of God has no commercial age, no cultured age, no age of education, no age of money. But He has one golden age, and that is the age of prayer. When its leaders are men of prayer, when prayer is the prevailing element in worship, like the incense giving continual fragrance to its service, then that cause of God will be triumphant."

The church today has lost its power to spread the good news of Jesus in our world. And the need of the hour is to return once again to the sweet hour of prayer. We don't need to reinvent the church to find the power and presence of God. No, we don't need to reinvent the church as much as we need to rediscover the lost secret to it's power, namely "prayer." May our hearts and churches burn once again with the sweet incense of prayer to the glory of our savior and the spread of his cause in the world.