By: Juliet Constantine
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. (1 Kings 18:30)
In following Jesus’ example, we are encouraged to rise early for morning worship and also to make evening worship our last activity before going to bed. Morning worship normally sets the tone for the day and also acts as a ‘cushion’ for encountered challenges. It does help us to focus our minds on God before we are bombarded with all the activities of economy. Then, when all is settled down before we retire for the night, we should once again lift our thoughts heavenward thanking God for His mercies during the past day and asking continued guidance for the night.
“Lord in the morning thou shalt hear, my voice ascending high; to Thee will I direct my prayer, to Thee lift up mine eye.” This hymn by Isaac Watt is a favorite for persons who participate in Morning Worship. And for a similar worship setting in the evening, John Ellerton’s composition of “The day Thou gavest Lord is ended, the shadows falls at Thy behest; to Thee our morning hymns ascended, Thy praise shall hallow now our rest” is also a regular to end our day. But with the advancement of technology, it seems that our family altars - morning and evening praise - are replaced with electronics.
In Elijah’s days, people tore down the Lord’s altar and built alters to Baal. Instead of praying to the God of Heaven, they were praying to Baal. It was normal practice of neighboring countries to worship Baal; so the Children of Israel did likewise. They felt out of place because of their original worship style. It was so different from everyone and they wanted to fit it and to encourage others to worship with them. Thus they began to worship like their neighbors. This is what led to their three year drought of no rain.
Looking back, many of us are behaving similarly to the Israelites of old. We have allowed so many things to rob us of our time alone with God. Our morning and evening worship have taken second place to other activities that we feel are more important. And in the name of evangelism, our worship style has so evolved to the point where it borders on confusion. Could it be that’s the reason why our economies are in such a mess; why our finances are so depleted?
Let us rebuild our family altars. In the morning when we rise, let our praise ascend heavenward in thanksgiving to our God. Let us keep Him with us throughout the day. And in the evening, let us turn off our electronics in favor of spending quality time, in thanksgiving to our God. When we spend time to call on God, He promised to hear and to answer. Needless to say, He delights to spend time with us. Let’s do the wise thing – repair the Lord’s altar.
Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for waking us this morning; and pray that You will be with us throughout the day. Please help us to always place You first in everything we do. May we spend quality time with You before we sleep, and as much as we can. This is our prayer, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)
