“Thy prayers are come up for a memorial before God” (Acts x. 4).
What a beautiful expression the angel used to Cornelius, “Thy prayers are
come up for a memorial.” It would almost seem as if supplications of years
had accumulated before the Throne, and at last the answer broke in
blessings on the head of Cornelius, even as the accumulated evaporation of
months at last bursts in floods of rain upon the parched ground. So God is
represented as treasuring the prayers of His saints in vials; they are
described as sweet odors. They are placed like fragrant flowers in the
chambers of the King. And kept in sweet remembrance before Him. And later
they are represented as poured out upon the earth; and lo, there are
voices and thunderings and great providential movements fulfilling God’s
purposes for His kingdom. We are called “the Lord’s remembrancers,” and
are commanded to give Him no rest, day nor night, but crowd the heavens
with our petitions and in due time the answer will come with its
accumulated blessings.
No breath of true prayer is lost. The longer it waits, the larger it
becomes.