What happens to our prayers once they leave our lips? Revelation 1-5

Revelation 5:8
When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Have you ever wondered what happens to your prayers after they leave  you lips, thoughts, mind?   We know that God hears them.   We know that He answers them, albeit not always like we prefer.   But, according to the above passage our prayers are collected in the bowls that are held by the twenty-four elders that sit around the throne of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. This is not the only verse in The Revelation that states this truth.  Note the following:

Revelation 8:3-4
Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on 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.

What we see from the hand of John is that God collects the prayers of the saints and then, those prayers, become incense to the throne room of God.   Yes, God answers are prayers, in some way or another.   But, did you know that the very fragrance of heaven is altered by the prayer you pray in you prayer closet, on the way to work, in your darkest times of life, in the most wonderful times of praise, in the hospital room, in the board room, in the bedroom, in the garage?   God keeps our prayers.   We often hear people tell us to make sure we are careful what we post to the internet because it will always be there, forever.   Yet, it really won't.   When God destroys the world and builds a new heaven and a new earth, God will also destroy the words of man; the internet.   But, our prayers WILL be kept forever.  They are kept in the bowls of the elders as they sit around the throne of God.   We are a fragrance to God.  Note how Paul views our lives:

2 Corinthians 2:15
For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;

Our lives and our prayers are used by Christ to God for a sweet smell.   Our prayers are used by God as an air freshener in heaven.   We ought to think of prayers as way to communicate to God for the things we need.  That use of prayer is not wrong and and is even encouraged by Christ and the writers of Scripture.   But, our prayers should not be whining to God.  Imagine if whining were a scent in heaven?   What are the best smelling prayers?  It would be imagined that the best incense of prayer would be those of praise and thanksgiving and not those of whining.  Those of need and humbleness toward God to fill those needs must create a great scent in the throne room of God.  What would the twenty-four elders call your prayers if it were a scent to God?