Building Altars - By Karen Pourbabaee
“The Lord appeared to Abram… ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ So Abram built an altar to the Lord…” Genesis 12:7 NAB
Humans began building altars after losing day-to-day contact with God in the garden. Abram was known for building altars while moving obediently toward the Promised Land. Isaac, Jacob, and Moses also built altars. In the New Testament altar appears twenty-four times. Today, altars are central to places of worship, committed meeting places between God and the faithful.
Building altars demonstrated Abram’s faith, an outward expression of his inner faith. It was a place of thanksgiving, communion and intimacy with God. Altars may become places of worship and adoration, sacrificial offering, confession and repentance, hearing God’s will, and finding God’s power for change. Altars became all of that for Abraham, father of our faith.
As we journey, we too must build altars, sacred space to commune with God. A place to share our hearts…sometimes exploding with thanks and adoration…sometimes tears fall as liquid prayers. A place where we can know our Father as He’s known us. He’s unsurprised by our fears and doubts. Place them on the altar and receive faith. He understands we’re but human and sin…confess and be cleansed by His mercy. He has compassion toward the healing of our spirit, soul, and body. By His wounds we have been healed (1 Peter 2:24). Receive healing as you kneel before Him. Be renewed and strengthened as you stand to face the world. Finally, listen for His voice. You can know His will and He’ll teach you the way to go. (Psalm 32:8) Build an altar and He will come!
Karen is a retired nurse who now heals with God’s Word. Contact
