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The Altar - A Place of Devotion

Exodus 20:24 – “An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.”

The altar of prayer must become a place of devotion in the believer’s life. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines devotion as “an act of religious fervor: piety. An act of prayer or private worship. A religious exercise or practice other than the regular corporate worship of a congregation. The act of dedicating something to a cause, enterprise, or activity.”

The altar is a place of sacrifice and a place to meet with God.  A sacrifice will be costly.  In Exodus 20:24 God promises to meet with us and to bless us. The altar is not a place to visit haphazardly, but it is to be a place of devotion.

The following Scriptures encourage us to make the altar of prayer a priority:

  • Psalms 5:3 - My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.”
  • Deuteronomy 6:5 - “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
  • Psalms 63:1 - “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for you; My flesh longs for You in a dray and thirsty land where there is no water.”
In the Old Testament the altars were built of stone, wood, or from the earth.  In the New Testament we no longer build physical altars, but we establish spiritual atlas.  John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

The altar is the place where we spend time with God.  It can be a prayer room, a living room, an office, or any place we designate.  Do you long for the presence of God? Then we must make the altar of prayer and place of devotion. 

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