John now sees what takes place during this half-hour of silence. It is the time of prayer.
Doesn’t this encourage us to pray? Our prayers do not leave our lips only to be ignored by the Father. Through Christ’s intercession they become as effective as his prayers. Therefore we pray always in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are something substantial to him, more substantial than anything else on earth. We do not read of anything else that is able to make the journey from earth into that realm that is so inaccessible to mortals. But our prayers go into the very presence of God.