I have been in Joshua for a while and ran across a statement that caused me to meditate. The phrase was, “Joshua constructed an altar to the Lord not made with hewn stones but unhewn and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.”
I would like our minds to deviate from the traditional thoughts regarding those words. My mind began to think how irregular unhewn stones would be. Hewn stones would have been measured and fitted perfectly together. There would be no spaces or an irregular appearance if the altar had been made of that type of stone. The offerings made on that type of altar would have looked beautiful, perfectly balanced, complimenting shapes and sizes.
But our hearts are like the altars made of unhewn stones. God knows the sides that have been flattened by life circumstances, the places chipped by pain and rejection, the dips caused by failures. But it is the imperfect stones that make our heart that HE longs to see placed as an altar before HIM. When we worship in spite of our imperfections, the burnt offerings (those of repentant nature) and the peace offerings (those of consecration and commitment) appear to be beautiful in HIS eyes.
Too often we wait to get things just right before we offer our worship altar to the Lord. We think we need to chip away at that stone a little more before HE will receive our offerings. But we are wrong to think that. HE only wants our hearts. Imperfect though they are, they are the thing HE is after. HIS love and grace and mercy are more than sufficient to cover our shortcomings. As the aroma rises to HIM from our unhewn stone altar HE honors our willingness to come naked before HIM, just as we are, trusting HIS love and HIS grace.
Hope to see you in a Tea Room soon,
Elizabeth