When faced with a new endeavor, our first instinct is sometimes to wait until we see things turn out well before giving thanks to the Lord. The Bible tells us, however, that without faith, it is impossible to please God. It is important to our personal growth to declare that we trust in God and to show those who are watching us so that they, too, may believe. God holds this type of worship from His children precious.
Solid ground underfoot at last. Noah and his family had survived a long year aboard their ship and faithfully cared for their cargo of animals. At last, they could leave their isolation and start over. Their first move may be surprising. They built an altar to God.
When Ezra led over 42,000 Israelites home after seven decades of exile, one of their first acts was to rebuild the house of the Lord on its former site in Jerusalem. The people assembled to reconstruct an altar. Offering twice-daily sacrifices to the Lord stated their intention to keep their priorities. It also told hostile locals that they wouldn’t be intimidated.
Then we have Gideon in the Book of Judges. God used him to free Israel from their enemies. Gideon obeyed when ordered to replace his father’s altar to Baal with an altar to the Lord. But he was so terrified of his family’s and neighbors’ reactions that he did it under the cover of night.
Will you follow Noah’s lead by making a sacrifice of praise even when you face an uncertain future? Have you ever dared to worship when surrounded by enemies or obstacles, like the Israelites? Or perhaps you have built an altar in the dark, like Gideon, afraid of what others might say.
If you show the world that your hope is in God, you will experience the joy of His awesome faithfulness in return.
Deborah Meroff served as a missionary writer and photographer for thirty years. While based in London, she was privileged to visit 115 countries and publish scores of articles and a dozen books in various languages. She now resides in Maine, USA.