What do the saints in heaven actually do before God?

The whole understanding of the saints is that they minister before the throne of God, which we read in the book of Revelation. In Revelation chapter 8, an angel having a golden censer comes and stands at the altar, and he is given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne of God. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascends before God from the angel's hand.

What is this imagery? It is the same imagery we see every Sunday when we come to the divine liturgy: the incense arising before the throne of God, the smoke offered with the prayers of the saints. And who are the saints? Not merely the saints who are alive, but all of the saints, as St Paul already told us in Hebrews. It is the cloud of witnesses, both the Old Testament church and the New Testament church, all praying and interceding before God.

Those who have already passed on from this life are not interceding for themselves. They are interceding for the whole family of God, those of us who remain upon the earth, those of us who are in the fight and in the battle against evil. All of us are working together, as St Paul says, made perfect together with us. Old Testament saints, New Testament saints, and even those alive now are all working together, interceding before the throne of God that he would strengthen us for the ministry upon this earth, that he would give us the things we need for our salvation, and that he would abide with us in our times of trials and difficulties.

This is the natural understanding of the full biblical picture: all of the saints working together for the salvation of mankind. Why? Because this is the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ trying to save the world, and you and I are called to be active participants in it.