Have you ever thought of using your nose in worship? Hey, prayer friends. It's Asherita,

host of the prayers of rest podcast. And we recently wrapped up the Fruit of the Spirit prayer season.

And we're preparing and writing and recording the next season of prayers of rest that will come out this fall.

But in between, we are spending a few weeks refreshing our prayer lives, trying to break

free of some of those ruts and routines that we might have gotten stuck into and trying

some creative ways to bring a fresh sense of God's presence in our lives.

And yes, you heard that right. I did say no's. And this is why when we look at the commandments

and the instructions that God gave Moses for building the tabernacle.

God included a custom blend of spices to be diffused in the temple courts every day.

First tabernacle, then later temple.

And just think, every time worshippers came to pray, they smelled this distinct fragrance that would

always make them think of God. Now, recent scientific research reveals that our sense of smell

is closely linked with memory. So just like whipping up a batch of grandma's cookies brings her face to mind.

So connecting a specific smell with our prayer time will also remind us of God's faithfulness

toward us in all the previous times of prayer as well.

So my invitation to you this week is this. Try lighting a scented candle or

diffusing an essential oil blend that is specific and special to your prayer time. You might

just be surprised how you come to associate that fragrance and that smell with time spent in God's

presence. And over time, simply smelling a whiff of that aroma will make you think, oh, God is here.

God is present. God is with me. I think of in the book of Revelation where there's a text that says that the prayers of the saints are like incense before God's throne.

And so there's something there about the sense of smell.

I'm not just being silly.

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