Pamela and I just recently celebrated our 42nd Anniversary. My cousin invited us to come up to Fox Island, Washington, and stay at her house as a base for day trips in the Seattle-Tacoma area. I sensed that this was a trip to complete a set of “bookends”, a conclusion of an era of some type. Only after the trip did I get further revelation about the era.
Stephen Jones has been writing (blogging) a commentary on the Book of Luke, the 42nd Book of the Bible. Further, the 42nd move of the children of Israel was the move into the Promised Land, a type of completion. Clearly, 42 is a notable number for these days.
Our Heavenly Father directed me to the following verse this morning:
Exodus 30:7 “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.”
Incense are prayers to Our Heavenly Father, first thing in the morning. As I have suggested in the past, we should start our day being still before Our Heavenly Father and listen. Prayer or communication goes both ways. A sweet aroma draws our attention. A lamp provides light or revelation. As something is revealed to us, we can pray for it to come to pass. We are to speak forth into the earth on HIS behalf.
In the first chapter of the Book of Luke, the story begins with a well-respected priest named Zacharias (Zacharias meaning "remembered of Jehovah"). His lot was chosen to burn incense one specific morning. This particular day was the time the angel Gabriel would appear:
Luke 1: 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
Gabriel’s message was one of preparation for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist (born to Zacharias) was to prepare the way. Our Heavenly Father provides us notification of HIS plans. Scripture provides us confirmation of what HE is saying to us as individuals. I suggest that you set time aside in your prayer closet to hear what HE is saying to you. Let the sweet incense be a pleasing aroma in HIS nostrils. You never know when an angelic messenger will show up and announce a forthcoming event. Be assured that if and when the angel shows up, it will be good news, don’t be afraid.
PS: Washington State happens to be the 42nd State of the U.S. admitted to the Union in 1889.