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The Altar is broken down

Elijah repaired the Altar of the Lord before offering the sacrifices.

What a joy it would have been to the Lord. After a long time, He is receiving the rightful worship. Amidst all the jargon and beating around the bush and shouting and crying, He should be now stooping down to Elijah after the correct preparation. God would want to listen to what Elijah was about to say.
Setting up the Altar is the rate limitting step in worship and prayer. I was thinking what is the Altar in our lives? Does it denote a particular place of worship, a destined place where you sit everyday to talk to Him? Does it denote a rightful attitude of awe and reverence as you worship? Does it denote repentance and reinstating with God, before submitting your supplications? Does it denote church (both the monument and the body of Christ)?
All these are really important. That is when my wife asked me: "What happens in the Altar?" (As we all agree; The wife is always right)
This triggered a thought process in me. What happens on the Altar is of utmost importance in Jewish worship. Sacrifice for the penalty of sin. That is the key to all of your worship and praise and prayers that are to be answered.
As we approach a holy God, sin has to be dealt within us. Within our hearts. Pardon for sin is the initiating act of worship. That is why Elijah repaired the Altar before worship or asking God to answer.
But for us, the broken down altar has been permanently restored right? The cross, has for life, dealt with my sin. But how often do I remember the Saviour dying on the cross instead of me?
Let me ask something. It is directed to me all the more. Within the past 24 hours, how often have we remembered the act on the cross? We are busy with submitting our supplications with praise and thanksgiving even worshipping and praising Him with songs, before repairing the Altar. Remembering the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross is the repairing that He desires. In our busyness, in our running around, we tend to forget what our Saviour has done. The essence of it all we tend to forget. Let us repair.

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