Exodus 30  Moses receives detailed instructions for every part of the tent of meeting,  every piece of furniture, everything that will be used in ministry by the priests and every aspect of "worship".

Verses 1-10 describe and altar of incense.  It would stand inside the curtain, but outside of the veil that separated the ark and mercy seat.  Every morning and every evening fragrant incense was to be burned.  Nothing else would ever be presented on that table.  Verses34-38 give the instructions for making the incense.  The spices used are stacte, onycha and galbanum, with pure frankincense.  Never heard of the first 3, but we recognize the last ingredient.   God instructs Moses that this particular incense could never be used by anyone else.  It was to be unique, separate, holy to the Lord.   "There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord though out your generations."  

(A "fragrant incense" that continually burns before the Lord..... isn't it interesting that God likes smells?   The soothing aroma of burnt mutton... and the fragrant aroma of spices.... )

Revelation 5: 8 " And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."  And, Revelation 8:3-4  " And another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.  And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand. "    Here we are given a picture of the original... of which Moses' was a copy.   Here we learn that the incense is connected to prayers of the saints.

David wrote in Psalm 141: 2 " May my prayer be counted as incense before Thee; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering."   David's prayer is for himself,  for sanctification and protection.
He offers it up as a fragrant incense before God.  Pleasing to the Lord.   And it is pleasing to Him when we offer such a prayer from our hearts.  It is an aroma that He desires. 

One more thought regarding this subject, in II Corinthians 2:14-16  " But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma of death, to the other an aroma from life to life..."

Everything that God gave to Moses for the tabernacle, points to Christ.  The incense with its fragrant aroma filled the tent where God met with His people.  The fragrant aroma of our prayers are offered before the throne of God in Heaven .  The knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and Coming King is a sweet fragrance of life to those who call upon Him and are saved.

Father in heaven, we call to You and we ask that You would hear our prayers and that they would be a  beautiful and pleasing aroma, like incense before You.   We present our bodies, a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to You,  in spiritual service, in worship to You, our merciful God.   Like David, we ask that You set a guard over our mouths.  That our words would be sweet and filled with grace and love through Jesus, our King.   We ask that You would keep our hearts from all evil and wickedness.  Deliver us from evil, Lord.  From all those in this world who want us to follow their deeds.  Do not lead us into temptation... and as David said, " do not let me eat of their delicacies."  Instead, Lord, let us hear the reproof from those who are righteous, those who are godly.  "Do not let my head refuse it."  Our eyes are on You, Lord God.  We take refuge in You. Teach us to walk in Your ways. Make us fragrant aromas in this world of rotting, sin filled lives.
I ask this in Your Name, Jesus... the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning star, the Fairest of ten thousand... beautiful beyond description...our all in all,
Amen