Author Darlene J. Conard

Every so often, I take out my old journals to read through the entries and carefully analyze them. Each entry reflects who I was at that specific point in time. These writings remind me of the struggles I faced and how circumstances seemed to overwhelm me. At the time, I held onto my faith in Christ, even amidst my difficulties. I vividly remember pouring out my heart in writing and then uttering a prayer for hope, a plea for deliverance: “Let deliverance come, please God.”

On August 16th, 2000, I truly began to know Christ personally. Reflecting on my journey with God from its inception until now, I realize the significance of building altars and memorials as we walk with God. I purposefully use the term ‘altars’ because the first altar I constructed is not in the same place as it once was. As we grow and evolve, our altars take on new forms. The person we were yesterday does not define who we are today.

In the sacred scriptures, Abram became Abraham after God made a covenant with him, cementing promises in his life. The passage deeply moves me: ‘And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him.’ This encounter serves as a powerful memorial. Abraham built the altar on Mount Moriah with a different pattern than his first altar.

In an emotional turn of events, Abraham obediently prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as instructed by God. Unlike his previous questioning, Abraham displayed unwavering faith this time (Genesis 22:1-8). I find great significance in the idea that our circumstances are not meant to be stumbling blocks. Instead, we can use the blocks from these circumstances to build our altars. We can trust that God’s answer is on the way. Our altars will become memorials, testaments to the faithfulness of Jehovah-Jireh. We can confidently proclaim, “God brought me through that. He’ll do it again!”

“Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and “these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.” Joshua 4:7 KJV

“Faith in God is having faith in His timing.” – Neal A. Maxwell-

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