Worthy of an Altar

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How many altars have I built in my life?

An altar is a place of worship, of commitment, of sacrifice.

Noah built an altar when, at last, he and the riders of the great ark were on dry land once again. It is recorded that Abraham built altars at significant points in his spiritual journey. In Genesis 26 Isaac builds an altar as well. This event was spurred by an encounter with God during which the Lord said:

“I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham” (26:24). It is said that Isaac built the altar “…and called on the name of the Lord” (26:25).

An altar is a place of communion, a place of encounter with God. We used to have “altar calls” away back when. Those were moments at the end of a service when the pastor invited anyone who wanted to accept Christ, or make some other significant spiritual decision, to come forward. I responded to one of those when I was 11 years old. My mother was right behind me!

An altar is a place of decision.

An altar is a humble place. It is a place where we acknowledge that whatever we place on that altar is like a penny given to receive unlimited access to the riches of heaven.

Isaac had just received a promise from God. He was already a wealthy man, but what God promised him went far beyond herds of sheep, goats, or camels.

God would be with him. God would bless him.

And being under the divine umbrella was more than enough.

Let it rain. Let it thunder. Let the mountains move as the earth groans for its ultimate redemption. Let enemies gather. Let civilizations come and go, nations rise and fall.

God was with him. God would bless him. And that was more than enough.

That was worthy of an altar.

And so it should be with each of us who seek to walk with God, to model Christ, to live in obedience to His Word, to allow the Spirit of the Almighty to conform us to the image of His Son.

God is with us. God will bless us. That is more than enough.

That is worthy of an altar.

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