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The Altar - A Place of Demonstration

 II Chronicles 7:1 - “When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

God demonstrates His power at the altar. In Genesis 8 when Noah came out of the Ark, he built an altar. Genesis 8:21-22 says, “And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” In Genesis 9:1-3 God pronounces a blessing on Noah and his sons.


In II Chronicles 6-7 Solomon dedicates the temple.  In II Chronicles 6:12 Solomon stood before the altar and prayed.  His prayer is recorded in verses 13-42. When he finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offing and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. II Chronicles 7:2 says, “And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.” What happened?  God demonstrated His power at the altar.  


In I Kings 18 the Prophet Elijah met the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.  Listen to the challenge he issues in verses 23-24, “Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”  


In I Kings 18:32 Elijah rebuilt the altar of prayer. He put the sacrifice on the altar, poured four barrels of water over the altar, and prays a sixty-three-word prayer.  What happened? Verse 38 says, “Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench!” 


The altar is a place of demonstration. The Lord will demonstrate His power to us when we make the altar of prayer a priority in our Christian walk of faith.

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