“Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first time he had done this” 1 Sam 14:35

“Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” 1 Sam 15:12

The Bible is a collection of prophecies, promises, and practices that have set some people apart in their generations. Abraham, having exposed the power of altars, has seamlessly incorporated them into his modus operandi. He created tangible altars as memorials to capture God's promises and covenants, establishing them in every strategic city he entered. This memorial is a sure way to recall God’s faithfulness when memory fails. It is no surprise that he is known as a friend of God. His intimacy with God allowed him to access deep mysteries that will be useful as he put in place the foundation of the new faith that will lead to the coming of the Messiah. Abraham’s father was a businessman who sold idols for a living. He was also groomed and prepared to take over the business when he received the call from God.

On the contrary, Saul, the inaugural king of Israel, achieved prominence not through personal might but by God's choice. However, his downfall ensued as he became consumed with pleasing people rather than God, ultimately resulting in a legacy marked by the construction of a single altar to God, with a subsequent altar erected solely in his honor. The misunderstanding of the power of altar ultimately led to his demise.

An altar today is a place where we can set to see the face of God, it is not necessarily a set of stones as it used to be in the past but a place where we put our bodies as a living sacrifice before God. A place where we can be broken and molded into finer vessels through the refiners’ fire in the hand of the master. This is where the deep things of God are revealed and deeper level of intimacy with God is ignited.

Prayer altars serve as the starting point for embarking on a new job, relocating to a different country, or launching a new business… Altars serve as the passport to shining amidst darkness for the glory of God in any given field.