Rebuilding and Repairing the Altar of Prayer
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The nature of this world, and even the nature of our own disposition is that things wane, weaken, break and fade.
A new car, new shoes, with time, use, things do not get better, but worse. The only way anything maintains it’s usefulness is through careful and meticulous care.
We see that in our own lives, in our relationships... if you don’t work to maintain them, they will be not improve naturally.
Our Relationship with our children.
Our Relationship with our spouse.
Our Relationship with our friends.
How Much more, our relationship with the Lord.
Distractions, Business, lack of priority, Carnality
And the tick tock of the clock,
The Enemy will facilitate the drifting and decaying nature of this world and the time will come when you need to pray, but alas...
Altars Break.
Israel, because of their divided loyalty with God and their present world... the altar had not only broken down, but their worship had changed.
And that change precipitated a famine and drought.
For Three Years a Drought produced by a praying man, Elijah... brought the people of God to a place of openess to the purpose of God.
And in that space and place we see the grace of God demonstrated by and through the Man of God.
The man of God stood and called for the obvious solution.
He began to repair the Altar of the Lord that was broken down.
It is not that the Lord was broken.
It is not that the people were broken.
But that connection between the people and the connection between the Lord had been neglected and the Altar was broken.
So, the Man of God began to repair the Altar.
He took the Twelve Stones for the twelve tribes of Isreal... he laid them in order.
Setting in order our name and idenity on the altar. You are a part of the altar. Your existance and life is proof and product of the purpose of God.
He then dug a trench about the altar.
He made a place for overflow. Overflow is a part of life. We can never measure out everything just perfectly. Our Grief, often will over flow our altars. Our Blessings, when the come, overflow our altar. Our Challenges that need to be met... overflow our altars.... and the man of God made a place for the overflow. The Trench is the consecration and disciplines that we institute in our lives that help us to retain the blessings of God.
He Put the Wood in Order
Something Dry and long dead was the kindling to burn that which would not burn so easily. Things that you already have victory over. Things you gave to God a long time ago. Things you are already delivered from. Those things that are dead and they will easily burn. They will provide the kindling to burn and consume your fresh sacrifice.
He Cut the Bullock in pieces and laid it on the wood.
The sacrifice of flesh... while life was still a part of it. It had been killed and cut in pieces... An altar without flesh is just a bonfire. You must have flesh on the altar.
Fill Four Barrels with Water... and pour it on the sacrifice and the wood.
Why the water... This was not going to be some errant spark... a fire through a rubbing together of sticks... this would be a divine fire.
Do it a second time. Do it a third time.
To the Point of Complete surrender to the answer of God.
The water ran around about the Altar... and he filled the trench with water.
The Altar stood.
The Sacrifice Waited.
The Water continued.
And the Man of God Prayed.
The Fire Came and Answered the Prayer of the Prophet.
When the Fire Came ... it was an answer that made a complete answer.
It consumed the Sacrifice, The Wood, The stones, The Dust, and the water... God had Transferred the Altar built on Earth... and Placed it in Heaven.
The Prayer was heard.
The response from the people was they fell on their faces and recommitted thier lives and hearts to Jehovah.
Rebuilding the Altar of Prayer.
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