Have you ever taken the time to observe on Sunday morning or at any other time who is going to the altar? Is there no one who feels the pull of God to come and kneel in His presence? For those of us in the Body of Christ, who are saved and sanctified, who may feel that going to the altar is just a place for sinners to receive salvation, let me inform you that you have been misinformed. There has been a shifting in the spirit since the last time you took that walk. There is another level. We need to be at the altar every chance there is an opportunity.

Look around and see the many problems that we face in society. The evolution of moral decay is to a level that our ancestors could not even comprehend. We want, need, and cry out to God for answers. Where is the place? The altar. Is there no one that will get up and move early to be in His presence prior to the arrival of the congregation? If you are one of those people who have been entrusted by your Pastor with a key to the church, it is not just to open the door! “And I give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16: 19). Use your key to enter in, take authority, and bind the works of the enemy. We need the prayers so that the Lord can reveal to us to schemes and snares of the enemy and give us the strategy that will defeat him. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:3).

In Luke 2:36-38, Anna, a prophetess of the tribe of Asher, was unusually committed to prayer. The word gives certain aspects about her concerning her tribe (her lineage), her age, as well as her status in society. But the most important aspect is one of her character.  She “departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” (Luke 2:36). She was committed to see the manifestation of the hand of God, which was His Son, Jesus.

Have we become so busy in our duties in the perfection of the outer appearance in the house of God that we have neglected to understand the purpose of having the altar? In the Old Testament, it was a meeting place for the priests to come to present different offerings for the cleansing of sin. What do you think would happen if you walk into the church and see the Pastor, the ministers, and everyone at the altar crying out to God? This would be one of those unusual services. No praise and worship, no scripture reading, no offering, no announcements, and no benediction. Just a cry out for the presence of God!  Is there not a hunger for Him in the Spirit just as the flesh hungers for food?

It is understood that God can meet you anywhere because He is omnipotent, omniscience, and omnipresence. But there is something special about the altar. It is the meeting place for you to seek Him. If you yield to the call, it is and can be an indescribable experience. Sometimes nothing needs to be said. Just come and kneel in His presence, all the while knowing that He has been waiting for you. Have you ever thought that He waits for you? The embrace is at the altar. Be diligent and fervent in your search for Him. Every answer to every problem is waiting if you meet Him there.

“For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer."

 (Psalm 109:4)

©

June 2005