Have You Built Your Altar Today?

By Pastor Matthew

Genesis 12:7 and Genesis 13:3-4

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him…  “And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

Abraham, the man who became the friend of God as well as the father of the faithful, was an altar builder.  When God would appear to him and bestow on him a blessing, a promise or a commission, he would build an altar.  All of us need to be altar builders.

The Bible does not tell us very much about these altars that Abraham built because it is not important that we know everything about their construction.  They do, however, symbolize a great truth and point out a basic need in our lives.  Abraham built altars when he worshiped or when he moved from one place to another.

What is an altar?  For Christians an altar can be a place, an attitude or a time when our thoughts and emotions are directed toward God.  ”God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).  We do not have to be in some specific place before we can worship, for God is a Spirit who cannot be restricted to a specific place.  While man is limited to one place at one time, man also has a spirit and therefore can worship God at any time or at any place.

We need to build altars that will call us to the holy privilege of prayer and worship to the one true God, Jesus Christ.  As we do so, we will find that those altars become places and opportunities to offer to Jesus the praise of our hearts.  As we spend time in deep heart searching and consideration of the blessings of God upon us, we will be more dedicated to our time, talents, treasure and testimony to the purposes of God and His will in our lives.

Because Abraham was an altar builder, he found God’s loving relationship to be wonderful and reassuring.  This strengthened his faith so that he was able to believe when others would have disbelieved.  Great strength came to him through worship.  His soul and inner self was made strong.

This is a great example for all of us reading this, that as we come before God in prayer and worship.  Our faith and hope become visible when we Christians present ourselves before the alter of Jesus Christ.  We must become altar builders!

Neglecting to build altars captures fear of the soul and will cause us to become neglectful in our worship.  Abraham did not construct an altar of any kind while in Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20).  This can possibly explain the reason for the fear that came over him at that time.

When fear captures the heart and the emotions, it is pinpointing the fact that faith is either absent or un- focused.  Faith must increase, and it can grow and be developed and strengthened.  This growth occurs only as we give ourselves to worship.  Worship is something considerably more than just going to church and listening to the pastor’s sermon.  It is the response of the human soul to God as He reveals Himself in many different manners.

Jesus spoke a parable to the end “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). The truth is that people will not truly experience the fullness of God if they do not pray.  By the building of altars in our secret places as we journey through, Christians strengthen their faith, increase their joy, maintain their spiritual wellness and guarantee a continuing Christian witness. It presents an honorable and a reverent readiness for the Lord’s service.

We must build alters as Abraham did.  Many altars have already been built or are ordained as places and times for worship.  The church where we are to come together as God’s family for public worship is a divinely ordained altar.  We all need to stay close to our local church.  Love it sincerely and steadfastly.  Remember that God’s family is a human family, and do not let the sins of church members or leaders cause you to stumble or to neglect your altar of worship.  Pray for the unity of God’s people.  Pray for and involve yourself in the work of your church as it carries on its mission for the Lord.

The word of God, our Bible is another altar that will provide communion.  God will meet the deepest needs of our hearts as He did for Abraham if we will just listen to His authoritative Word.  The Bible is not just a history of what happened in the long ago.  It is also a revelation of what God will do and what we can become today if we will simply worship and work in cooperation with our Creator and Redeemer.

Every home should have an altar.  The family should have a time each day for devotional study that allows us to spend time together in the presence of our Lord.  If the entire family cannot come together that individual should prepare their own altar.  This can be done at many different times during the day.  For example, we can pray as we shave or dry our hair or drive to work. Take time for mindful and direct prayer.  Where there is a will God will always make a way.

Have courage, Jesus Christ will meet with you and bless you as you build your altars.