Perfumed Prayers

King Ahaziah, the son of Ahab one of the most wicked kings in Israel, injured himself when falling through the lattice of his upper room (2 Kings 1:2).

Rather than consult God, he sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub in Ekron - a Philistine city - a people who had a long standing history of being the enemy of God's people. You recall King Saul consulted a witch the night before he and his sons were killed by the Philistine army. Scripture records, "So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;" (I Chronicles 10:13 KJV).

These men represent what happens when refusing to seek God and instead consult the flesh for an answer that best fits their desires. You may even say it's an assault against God's character in failing to acknowledge Him. God is more than willing to answer - if only we are willing to hear Him.

Believers may say I would never consult help from a stone or wooden idol. I wouldn't go to a medium or attend a séance to hear a word from God like Saul. But we will consult with our flesh (and others) rather than first seek the Lord's mind on the matter. King Ahaziah knew of Elijah from his dealings with his father but refused to consult God. Pride will not only be our downfall in not seeking God but it may even cost us our lives.

The word Baal-Zebub means "Baal of flies" or "lord of the flies". It's the same Satanic spirit the Pharisees accused Christ of driving out demons in Matthew 12:27. Beloved we must consult the Lord - in everything we do or say (yes, I mean literally everything). Otherwise we will assume we can cope or survive in our strength. Eventually we will resort to a spiritual source that brings death into our lives.

Faith requires refusing options and opportunities that present themselves as a means to bring about our own answer rather than the one God has in His mind. Such faith to turn away from the flesh makes for perfumed prayers. David writes in Psalms 14:12, "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."(KJV).

When we refuse to consult God we are in essence inviting the lord of flies.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 says, "As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor" (Ecclesiastes 10:1, NLT). What are the dead flies in our prayers? When we become foolish and not seek the wisdom of God we drop dead flies in what could be perfumed prayers - a sweet smelling aroma in the nostrils of God - now becomes a stench of death.

Prayers like Saul God did not hear because such a man failed to listen to God the first time. Don't let the dead flies of our own foolish wisdom corrupt our prayers. Rather let's seek Him always and we will live (Amos 5:4) and our perfumed prayers of faith will reflect it.