JANUARY 19: “ALTAR OF WORSHIP”

Abraham, the father of faith, embarked on a journey with God; it was a journey of faith, fight, and the experience of God’s faithfulness. Any time we see Abraham, he will pitch his tent, dig a well, and always build an altar.

In our text for today, as he continued his journey, there was a special manifestation of God’s presence to him. In that experience, God’s very presence was realized, and God’s voice was recognized. These are two important elements in the spiritual journey – to know God is present and his voice heard – that show us that God does not leave us wandering or wondering in life; he appears and speaks.

Abram responded to the divine presence and pronouncement in a particular way. He got up and gathered some stones and built an altar for the Lord. They were rough stones that he piled one on top of another. Thus, Abram marked this occasion of confirmation on his journey by a ‘relationship-strengthening act’. For Abram, the act of building the altar was a sign of surrender to the will and purpose of God. Abram was moving on with God. Interestingly, we find that as Abram moved on with God, he built other altars and worshiped God (v. 8). Repeatedly, Abraham pitched his tent and built an altar. He makes ‘space’ for himself but also makes a ‘place’ for God. It shows us that worship keeps us aligned with God’s presence.

As we journey today, let us make space for God through our worship of Him. The altar is a place of communion with God. We are encouraged by Abram’s story to worship God the way He is leading us, not necessarily the way we see others worshiping. We are challenged this week to reflect on our personal time with God and to discover ways we can spend personal time with Him each day.

PRAYER: Our Father, we thank you for caring so much for us that you can reveal yourself to us. May our encounter with you enable and empower us to draw closer to you in worship. Like Abram, help us to make space for you daily in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.