I remember listening as My Dad told how his mother stayed close to God in those years she couldn’t attend church. She had gone to a revival over in eastern Arkansas and there received the Holy Ghost, after enjoying the services she had to return home. Her home was a little farm in the hills of north central Arkansas. There was not a church the preached and believed in the infilling of the Holy Ghost close. The closest one was hours away by the way they had to travel. Even though she was only able to attend a church service a few times in a two year time period, she held on to God and kept her walk for God sure. Her faith didn’t seem to waver or her commitment didn’t wax cold. One of her daughters once asks her how she was able to stay close to God with no church to attend. To which my grandmother replied, the fields, the trees, the rocks the streams became my church. She had church and altars to Jesus all over the place in the back hills of that farming community.
I know there were hard times. I have heard of some of the struggles. Life threw both good days and bad times at her. There were dry times and cold days, there were problems and pain along with victory and happiness. There were loses and fires, deaths and sickness, there was family pressures and difficulty and time with no answers. There were joyful times and times of laughing and celebration. Wherever life found my grandmother she made an altar there. It was the only way she could stay close to God. She made an altar for every place life handed her. Because of her ability to build an altar and worship and pray to the Almighty she walked through this life for over 90 years and finished her course with joy and full of faith.
Life is full of all types of events, happenings and struggles. As we walk through it we have to deal with many things from day to day. Yet, we must always remember that we have a call and direction from God on our life to follow Him. I want Jesus to order my steps daily so I must plan on building an altar, finding a place to pray where ever life find me on this journey.
In Genesis chapter 12 we find the first recorded time that Abraham ever made an altar to God.
He has just been called to follow God. His calling is new and his ability to follow the hand of Lord is fresh. He has started a journey he has never walked. He has left the comforts of familiar surroundings and is following the directing hand of God.
Abram get to a place called Sichem (SIGH kem) that is located in a plane called Moreh (MOH reh). Sichem meant; The place to shoulder a burden. Moreh meant; Teaching and Early rain.
So for Abram’s first altar it was at an area where life gave a lesson and rain came sooner or things happen quicker than expected. Also there was a burden to shoulder a place of heaviness. At this place in his life Abram builds an altar. Oh yes, God gives him a promise that his children would have the land, there was promise and blessings but it is a place to shoulder a burden and a place unexpected happenings, a place where life lessons were learned.
Sometimes life hands you the expected. There are times in life when we get life lessons. There are places of life where we must shoulder a burden and carry a load. But if you are to stay close to God you will have to build an altar in that place of burden, life lessons and unexpected events.
Will it be easy? No. But our goal is to finish our course. Our goal is to follow our call so we build an altar anyway and worship the Almighty. We can’t stop so the only option is to grow so we build an altar to talk to God.
Later on Abram builds his second altar in a nameless place. There is no name given for the place of this altar. It has not a point of reference except that it is somewhere between Bethel and Hai. (Genesis 12:8) Bethel meant; The House of God. Hai meant; ruined by being overturned, a heap. Somewhere is a place with no reference or name, between the House of God and a ruined overturned heap, Abram builds an altar. The Bible says Bethel is on the west of his altar towards the setting sun. Hai is on the east of his altar the direction of the rising sun. Bethel is where his days are headed. Hai is where his days are coming from. Bethel is where the presences of God can always be found. It’s where God lives. Bethel has hope attached to it. The House of God is where promise and life everlasting is found. Yet on the other hand Hai is a place where someone messed up. A place where someone overturned life and it was left a ruined heap. It is between these two places of extreme, one of hope and promise and one of frustrating failure that Abram builds an altar to the Lord and the Bibles says he called on the Lord there.
We often get many of these places in our life. Places just outside the House of God where we know there is promise. Just before the day brings a blessed place where God is, life hangs up there. Behind us is a failing place or a ruined overturned heap. There are the piled remains of something that didn’t turn out right or something that should not have been. Maybe an event that was not our doing but it’s there a ruined pile of yesterday’s treasures. You still need to build and altar there. It’s still important that you worship and cry out to the Almighty. It may seem like you are caught in no man’s land but pray anyway. It feels empty and you just don’t feel like it but pray.
Yet, there is something else about this place. When you call on God there is no direction and no promises given. Abram didn’t get any blessings or assurance at this no named place. Heaven seemed to be quite. But be careful how you walk away from this altar. Don’t become frustrated by the lack of the voice of direction and the dryness of the time. God is still in control even though from this place in your life it may seem otherwise. You need to heed a warning about this eventless place of your life. Stay faithful here. Abram walked away from this altar and into sin.
Not only is this area of Abram’s life eventless and silent but there is also a famine, a severe time of need around him. He makes a decision and turns towards Egypt or away from the call of God.
Be warned during a time of silence from God, a time when there is not direction and you are just trying to catch your breath over a messy yesterday. A time when everything just seems like nothing and there is dryness and need, be sure you don’t turn away from your call and towards this world. A what’s-the-use feel will take hold of you in these places of your life and if you turn away from your call you will only find sin with it many repercussions attached to it. Just ask Abram. There was a lie, a wrong action that almost turned to a moral issue that could have ended Abram’s call. Oh it all looked good at the start but it ends with disgrace and bitterness.
Then the next chapter of his life says that he is very blessed and he goes back to his last altar that place between Bethel and Hai and calls on the Lord. He has to put his wasted time behind him and started to where God had him last. Again there is no answer that we know of, no promise or special direction yet Abram builds and altar. We just know the blessings of God are now greatly on his life. Life now is good, better than it has ever been. Yet there still in no special word but this time Abram leaves this altar right. No matter how blessed we are we must always be willing to build an altar.
The next time we see Abram building an altar his life is torn he is having family problems.
Lot, part of his family, has quarreled with Abram and now they have separated. Lot has gone toward the well-watered planes and Abram is left with the other direction. He is no doubt troubled and shaken. It is at this time that God shows back up and adds to the promise He gave to Abram. God expands the blessings and touches Abram with fresh direction. It is at this time of shaking and trouble that Abram builds an altar in a place called Mamre (MAM rih), it meant vigor and robust, it comes from a word that means to lash one’s self with wings like an ostrich running. At a time of confusion and shaking God gives a promise and fresh direction and an altar that put a new vigor and cause one to spur themselves on.
No matter how troubling it looks, hold on to the direction God has given you and wait on Him. He will come through with fresh direction and a greater promise to touch you. Build you an altar to put firmness and stability in your life. Build your altar with vigor and strength. You will have to build an altar here if you plan to stay close to God. Yes, there may be trouble. There may be family problems that leaves you staggered. There may be issues that try to take your faith. But God has His hand on you. The blessings of the Almighty are still yea and so-be-it. Build you an altar and get a firm vigorous hold on your call. Spur your life into action towards God. Build you an altar at this place of your life. Don’t mope around that altar and feel sorry for yourself, no push back with God’s strength and lift up your life.
The next time we see him build an altar his name has changed. He is now Abraham and there is a promise child at his side. What makes this altar different though is the fact that in most of the times past God blessed or speaks to him and then he build the altar. This time God tells him where to build the altar and who to put on it but there is no blessing or word until after the altar is built. At a place called Moriah that meant Jehovah provides. God tells Abraham to offer his promise to Him. Everything that God seemed to have planned, the entire direction that seems to be set, God seems about to destroy it all at one altar. But unknown to Abraham while he struggles up Moriah with his heavy heart and questioning mind, God is preparing a substitute.
God stops Abraham from destroying the promise and says now I know that you will hold nothing back from me. God again renews the promise and again expands the blessing.
God tells Abraham when I bless I will bless you. When I multiply I will multiply you and the whole world will be blessed because of you.
Life will bring all types of places. Good days and bad, times of Joy and times of sadness. There will be times of strength and times of weakness. But one thing we must do is build an altar at every place in our life.
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