Like the smoke of incense

Bill and I try to walk about 3.2 miles three evenings a week. This evening I walked by myself since Bill had a late finance committee meeting at church. I walk with my i-phone/i-pod and listen to praise music when I do my walk solo. Tonight's walk was wonderful. There was an almost full moon as dusk was falling and the air was a little cool. My praise music was perfect in my ears and I was feeling extra thankful and appreciative for one more day to live and love. You see, this morning I had another early morning, before work, appointment at my dermatologist office. I went to get my second set of stitches removed and get the pathology report from the 2nd spot removed off my back left shoulder. Praise God, literally, praise Him! It was yes, another pre-cancerous mole, stage 2 but they got it all (they can tell that by the margins) and I don't need any further treatment. I go back in 3 months for follow up. I am now paying for those visits to tanning beds some years back. I am feeling very thankful for the good report and prognosis and I am thankful for better sunscreens now that my children and grandchildren can use now and in the future. I am going to make my husband go in for a full body screening since he is a golfer. That is why married men live longer! They have women who love them and make them go to the doctor even when they aren't sick! Anyway, I was out praise walking and doing my cardio this evening after watching the Ranger's lose. As I approached the front street of our neighborhood, the aroma of sweet smelling incense delighted my sense of smell as it always does if I am walking around dusk. You see on that street, I usually see an older Asian gentleman in his pajamas and his peasant hat kneeling in his front flower bed as he does his evening prayers an lights incense. I was particularly struck by the pleasure I felt as I first inhaled the sweet aroma of his evening offering. I was out savoring the end of the day, the sunset, the creation that I see as a gift from my God. I was praying to myself and thanking God for my good report as well as for my family, job, life, and purpose. I realized this man, my neighbor, was out making his prayers and offering to his deity. I don't know what his specific religion is but I do admire his reverence and his consistency. I wondered, does my life give off a pleasing aroma and consistent demonstration of reverence and consistency in my Christian walk?
Some evenings I see this darling little man wearing an Asian peasant hat with his pajamas as he goes about his sunset or dusk time prayers and incense offering time.


He sets the incense sticks upright in a container in his large and well cared for front flower bed.


He is always reverent and serious and completely undistracted if walkers or neighbors are out and about.

The Bible calls for the use of incense in conjunction with prayer. Psalm 141 say "May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." Revelation 8:4 says "The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up before God from the angel's hand."

Religious use of incense has its origins in antiquity. The burned incense may be intended as a sacrificial offering to various deity or to serve as an aid in prayer.

I am thankful that God, Jehovah, the one true God hears my every prayer. I am thankful that I don't have to light a candle or stick of incense for Him to hear me. I do like the symbolism of the smoke wafting heavenward like our prayers ascending to God. I hope and pray that my life and my Christian walk affects others I come in contact with in a pleasing and appealing way with a "sweet aroma" that would draw others to Christ and not as an unpleasant odor that would drive them away.

Lord, thank you for one more day. Thank you for my family. Thank you for a good report and the hope of living on for You and Your Glory. Use me to be a pleasing aroma to others and as a representative for you. Bless that precious little man who is so consistent in his evening prayers. If he does not know YOU, please let him come to know you and how to have the free gift of eternal life given to us by Christ who died for us and paid for ours sins on the cross.