If You Build It, He Will Come

“So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.”
(Genesis 13:18, NIVUK)

Almost everywhere Scripture records Abraham going, it also records him building an altar. He was a nomadic tribal leader, constantly on the move, pitching tents, shifting locations, navigating uncertainty. Yet wherever he settled—even briefly—he marked the place with worship. Tents moved, but altars remained.

Throughout the biblical story, altars evolve. Simple piles of stone become altars with a tabernacle nearby. Later, those altars are surrounded by a temple. But at the heart of every move of God, in every place the people of God gathered, there was always an altar. God’s presence was never built around comfort or permanence, but around consecration.

Have You Built Your Altar?

An altar is first and foremost a place of meeting between heaven and earth. It is a place of prayer, sacrifice, and surrender. In the Old Testament, worshippers brought something precious—something costly and without defect—and placed it on the altar before the Lord (Leviticus 1:3–9). Worship cost them something.

That raises a confronting question for us today: what do we place on the altar now? We may not bring lambs or goats, but we are still invited to bring what is precious. Our time. Our schedules. Our comfort. Our ambition. Our reputation. Our control.

Altars in Scripture symbolise repentance (Genesis 8:20), covenant (Genesis 15:9–18), remembrance (Joshua 4:6–7), consecration (Exodus 29:44), and continual worship (Exodus 30:1–8). Today, those same realities are meant to live in us. We are now the living stones, the dwelling place of God by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Altars Anchor Us to the Eternal

Building an altar anchors us into what truly matters. It fixes our hearts on the eternal rather than the temporary. It becomes a divine intersection—where human weakness meets heavenly power. It is where we pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Begin by building an altar in your heart. Set aside time to pray. Fast when the Spirit leads. Reach upward in worship. Lay your inner life before God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

Begin to build an altar in your home. Pray together. Take communion around your table. Anoint the sick with oil (James 5:14). Say grace. Let worship music fill your rooms until the atmosphere shifts.

Begin to build an altar as the Ekklesia—the gathered church. Prayer rooms open day and night. Corporate prayer restored to the centre. Space not just for singing about God, but for calling on Him.

Let’s build an altar to our God like never before—and He will come in His glory!

Believe & Confess Meditation & Declaration

I declare that I am God’s dwelling place, and His Spirit lives in me (1 Corinthians 3:16). I offer my life as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1). I draw near to God, and He draws near to me (James 4:8). I hunger and thirst for righteousness, and I am filled (Matthew 5:6). I seek first the kingdom of God, and everything I need is added to me (Matthew 6:33). Heaven touches earth through my prayers and obedience (Matthew 6:10).

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When Spirit & Word Collide

In this book, Jarrod begins to challenge, inspire and provoke us about how Spirit and Word can come together as never before. How lives can be built on both power and principle – how churches can embrace both glory and good organisation – and how the dynamics of the prophetic can be more greatly embraced, and yet the Church can also grow in discipleship and influence.

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