Guest Post! "Rebuild the Altars" by Olivia Tracey
- Mira
- Feb 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 16
Welcome back readers and Happy Monday! Today, we have a guest post written by Olivia Tracey, a fantastic writer and blogger. Thank you so much for writing this post for us Olivia- I'm so thrilled to be able to publish it on Vintage Heart!
I’ve always loved the story of the “showdown” between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of the false god, Baal. Found in 1 Kings 18:17-40, it is a remarkable reminder not only of who God is but also of His unparalleled power.
At this time, Israel was under the rule of wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Violently opposed to the God of the Israelites and those who served Him, they had torn down all the Lord’s altars on which the Israelites would offer sacrifices to Him.
Elijah, the prophet of God, challenged King Ahab to see who the one true God was – the God of Israel, or the idol, Baal, that the king and queen worshiped. Atop Mount Carmel, (not Caramel, though that does sound nice ;) Elijah stood against hundreds of prophets of their false gods. The rules were simple: the prophets would call on Baal, and Elijah would call on God. Whoever sent fire upon the sacrifices offered by his people would be the true God.
As we know, the God of Elijah was the only one who answered his people’s prayers and consumed a soaking-wet sacrifice and altar with fire. What an awesome story!
Replacing God
What I want to focus on is 1 Kings 18:30.
“… And he [Elijah] repaired the [old] altar of the Lord that had been broken down [by Jezebel]” (AMP). Before God did a mighty work, Elijah first had to rebuild the altar that had been torn down.
We have altars in our lives, too. These altars are how we serve the Lord; upon them we sacrifice our time, efforts, talents, etc. to Him. Are there any altars in your life that have fallen into disrepair from lack of use?
Are you giving God your all and serving Him in every way you can? Or have some altars in your life been torn down?
Society has tried to replace God in every way possible, thereby displaying a form of idolatry. Instead of celebrating Christ’s birth at Christmas and His death and resurrection at Easter, they have made these occasions about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, respectively.
Rather than trusting an omniscient, loving God to guide one’s life, they look to the stars and astrology for guidance. Pantheists (those who worship nature) replace the Creator with the creation.
Secular culture no longer sees a rainbow as a symbol of a God’s covenant with man to never flood the earth again (see Genesis 9:13-17). Instead, it is used as a symbol of lifestyles that contradict God’s ways and instruction.
In a way, we also replace God with other “idols” in our lives. These idols may not be images or statues that we worship, but we can often have the same heart attitude. Whenever we choose to sin or go our own way instead of God’s, we replace God’s authority with our own. When we decide to scroll through social media instead of spending time with God when we know we should, we put other things above God. When we worry instead of trust our omniscient God; ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit and instead remain in our comfort zones or places we think are better for us; or desire something or someone more than the Lord, we fall into the sin of idolatry.
In fact, one of the Ten Commandments states, “‘You shall have no other gods before Me’” (Exodus 20:3, NKJV).
So, how do we avoid this idolatry and make God our top priority?
Rebuild the Altars
Rebuilding the altars to God in your life may look something like swapping some screen time for prayer or devotions. Maybe it is being more careful about your music and entertainment choices that aren’t God-honoring. Perhaps it’s obeying God’s call to sacrifice unforgiveness and instead love others the way He loves them.
As we saw in 1 Kings 18, once the altar was rebuilt and God was the top priority, God’s wonder-working power was displayed in greater ways than before. All that was required was a shift in priority. Instead of bowing to powerless idols such as Baal, Elijah made God his first priority by rebuilding His altar and sacrificing upon it.
When the people turned away from their distractions and false gods, the Lord revealed Himself to them and saved Israel from their wickedness. (This story began a chain of events that would lead to a righteous ruler on Israel’s throne and the destruction of Baal-worship.)
Let me encourage you to rebuild the altars in your life that have been torn down or neglected and make God your top priority today. Once you do this, you will see God move in astounding ways.
Let’s do it together.
-Olivia
Olivia Tracey is an 18-year-old homeschool graduate from Toronto, Ontario, who loves Jesus, music, and writing. She has been a bookworm ever since she started reading at age three. Olivia enjoys writing fiction with realistic characters as well as encouraging and challenging devotionals. She is passionate for others to know and experience the real Jesus in a vivid way. You can follow her on her devotional blog, The Remnant.
Check out Olivia's blog here!
Olivia also runs an Instagram for the Remnant. Go follow her here :D
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