Magtayo kayo roon ng altar na bato para kay Yahweh na inyong Diyos. Mga batong hindi ginamitan ng paet ang inyong gamitin…dito rin ihahain ang handog na pangkapayapaan at sa harap nito kayo magsasalu-salo sa panahon ng inyong pasasalamat sa Diyos ninyong si Yahweh.

Deuteronomio 27:5,7

In the Old Testament, men used altars for animal sacrifices and burnt offerings to dedicate themselves to the Lord. They needed to come clean before approaching the Holy God. But did you know that altars also served as memorials to commemorate God’s faithfulness to His people?

Maraming Bible characters ang gumawa ng altar para sa Diyos tulad ni Noah, pagkatapos siyang mailigtas ng Diyos sa malaking baha. Ganun din si Abraham and Isaac after they received the promise from God. Si Joshua naman ay inutusan din ng Diyos na gumawa ng altar after miraculously crossing the Jordan River. The Lord commanded the building of an altar to serve as a remembrance to the next generation.

Today, God does not require us to build physical altars to honor Him. But He looks at our hearts as altars of surrender and remembrance. When God calls us to Him, He gives us the desire to give up the sin or anything that hinders us from having a surrendered life. We lay our sinful desires before the Lord, He begins to mold our hearts to desire what He desires for us.

Our hearts also carve milestones of faith when we remember God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness in our lives. In seasons of doubt, we search our hearts and recall how God saved us, provided for us, and helped us. Life’s troubles get the best of us, but having these memories of God’s goodness in our hearts will carry us through.