Build the Altar and the Fire Will Come

By: Pastor José Flávio Macieira — 2025

This reflection is part of the series "The Fire of Truth on Mount Carmel," inspired by the themes from the book "The Desert Therapy."

God is more interested in the condition of the altar of your heart than in the perfection of your performance.

The athlete dreams of the podium, but first come months of lonely training. The musician dreams of the applause, but first come hours of repetitive practice. We want God's "fire" in our lives—the answer, the miracle, the transformation. But we often neglect the step that comes before: preparing the "altar." We want the manifestation of God's power without the process of aligning our hearts. Elijah's action, at the moment of highest tension on Mount Carmel, teaches us that preparation precedes power.

“Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come here to me.’ They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. [...] With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord...” (1 Kings 18:30, 32a, NIV)

After the pathetic spectacle of the prophets of Baal, Elijah calls the people near. His first act is not a prayer, but a reconstruction. He "repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down." This altar was a symbol of Israel's spiritual neglect. Elijah doesn't build a new altar for himself; he restores the old covenant, using twelve stones to represent the unity of God's people. Then, he does the unthinkable in a time of drought: he drenches the altar with water, three times, making natural combustion impossible. He was creating a scenario where only an unquestionable divine intervention could work.

Imagine an abandoned lot, full of rubble and weeds, where you want to build a house. You don't start raising the walls immediately. First, you must clear the land, remove the trash, level the ground, and build a solid foundation. "Repairing the altar" is exactly that. It's the work of removing the rubble of unconfessed sin and rebuilding the foundation of our covenant with God. The fire of the Holy Spirit doesn't fall on a heart full of debris. It falls on the altar that has been intentionally prepared to receive it.

Our culture is the culture of the "hack," the shortcut, the instant result. This mentality often seeps into our faith. We seek the blessing without the process. The biblical narrative is different. Elijah spent time repairing stones and carrying water before he prayed for one minute. The gospel invites us into a journey of formation, not a search for magic fixes.

The process of "repairing the altar" can be painful. It might feel like we are making ourselves "worthy," which would be legalism. But the grace is this: God does not ask us to repair the altar alone. The very invitation to prepare is an act of His grace. The desire to repent, the strength to rebuild—all of this is a gift. We do not prepare to earn the fire, but to witness the fire with clarity.

Your Next Step of Faith

Dedicate some time this week to "repair an altar." Choose one area of your spiritual life that has been neglected (prayer, Word, confession). Take a practical, concrete step to rebuild a healthy habit in that area, as an act of preparation for God to move in new ways.

The Mirror of the Soul

1. What "altar in ruins" in your life (an area of spiritual neglect, a broken relationship) is the Holy Spirit inviting you to repair today?

2. How does the analogy of "clearing the land before building" apply to your search for a spiritual breakthrough?

3. What is the "water" you need to pour on your altar—that is, what impossible situation do you need to surrender to God in an act of total faith?

Prayer

Lord, God who answers by fire, forgive us for wanting Your power without preparing our hearts. Show us the ruins on our personal altar and give us the courage to repair them with the stones of Your truth. Teach us to trust You to the point of surrendering our most impossible situations. Prepare our hearts to receive Your manifestation. In Jesus' name, amen.

When we prepare the altar with integrity, we set the stage for the impossible.

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The reflection you just read explores one of the crucial moments from the 40-day journey in our book, "The Desert Therapy: God's Care for the Exhausted Heart." To dive deeper into this and other topics, we invite you to explore our books. Each purchase is an investment in your own spiritual journey and a vital support that allows us to continue this ministry.

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