Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Can you imagine what it must have been like in the days of regular offerings of incense and sacrifices? You would be able to smell the incense every morning and the sacrifices at the appropriate times.

They would be a very visible and tangible mark of respect for God; something that may well seem like it is lost in modern society.

The psalmist wants his prayers to have the same perceived importance as the age old sacrificial offerings; not because he wants others to see his prayers but that God should look upon them with the same importance.

He does!

Psalm 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord.

What use is a priest or church leader who gets up and just says a bunch of words and calls it a prayer?

What use is it if we read something out of a book and don’t mean it in our hearts?

God wants this relationship between Him and us to be open and Honest. This means talking to Him from the heart and not from a page!

How do you show God you mean what you say in your prayers?

Psalm 63:4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Loving God is not just about saying you love Him or about loving Him when everything goes your way; loving God is a whole hearted, full time and total commitment between you and God.

There is no way God is going to back down. Why should you?

Love is a commitment that requires more than just a bunch of flowers now and again or a letter or card. Love requires a whole lot more.

Being willing to protect your love against others and against the evil around us should be the norm.

Prayer when expressed properly and with your whole heart shows real love.