“And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Rev 5:8).

I have not yet seen heaven and the throne of God; my sight can not reach that far. However, John the Apostle had a celestial journey to the presence of God, though in a vision, to report on the scenes in heaven.

One of the reports is about the prayers of the saints in two accounts. Besides this account, there is an identical scene in the Book of Revelation: “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel” (Rev 8:3—4).

We wonder what has happened to the unanswered prayers. Did it reach God, did God deny our longings, or did we pray in vain? Living with unanswered prayers is strenuous; if the prayers are not granted, we will be more comfortable than waiting endlessly.

John reports from heaven that the angels constantly offer our prayers before the Lord, enthroned in heaven as incense offerings in heaven.

None of our prayers may be answered the way we desire. However, they did not vanish on the way to heaven, nor did the Lord ignore them. The sounds of our cries and pleas for help are being offered in his presence by the angels to the accompaniment of the music harp. The realisation that my prayers have reached the Lord, who is pleased to hear my groaning, is gratifying and encourages me to pray instead of feeling dejected.