Fragrance

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Melanie from This Ain't New York

I think I might be addicted to Febreze.

Seriously, since the little blue bottles came out, I have loved the stuff. Maybe addicted is taking it a bit too far, but let's just say that I am strongly drawn to the Febreze logo displayed at Target.

Now they've added Febreze to so many cleaning products, my entire cleaning supply is labeled "Now with Febreze."

The truth is that I love anything that smells good, but I really adore anything that smells clean. The more I push the Swiffer button and release the scent of freshly cleaned floors, the more I want to clean my floor, and then my bathroom, and my sinks and so on.

Everyone has their own favorite scent, whether it is a flower, a perfume, or a brand new cleaning product. It reminds me that God has His own favorite aromas, too.

Revelations 5 refers to “the prayers of the saints” as “golden bowls of incense.” In fact, our prayers are like the sacrifices of the faithful in the Old Testament, as a sweet savour to The Lord.

Notice that God’s Word refers to all of the prayers of the saints as fragrant unto God. That’s right. He is pleased to hear all of our prayers- those of praise and thanksgiving, and those of sadness, doubt and worry. God is eager to listen to them all.

And when we are so distraught or confused that we cannot even think of the words to say, The Holy Spirit will pray on our behalf...

"And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." Romans 8: 26

This has always been amazing to me. I picture myself kneeling, tears streaming down my face, wanting to talk to My Lord, yet the words will not come. Then the Mighty Hand of the Holy Spirit rests gently on my shoulder and He speaks aloud to God on my behalf, as if to say, “Be comforted, dear one. I am here for you and I know your need. I will talk to the Father for you.”

What touches my weary heart is that God is always there, always listening to my prayers. It doesn’t matter how insignificant I think something is , it is always important to Him.

He tells us that He wants us to tell Him everything, the same way we tell our own children. Just like a child running in from school with something to tell her mom, I can run to Him with anything from my day and He is standing there waiting and listening.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4: 6-7

And to think that my prayers are not only accepted, but that they could be fragrant to Almighty God, like “golden bowls of incense,” well, that helps me rest in His Peace and Love so much more.

In Christ,

Melanie