Make a pile and worship

The other day, while driving, I made the comment to God that if I could only get all of the pieces of me, all my fragmented parts, put together, I could serve Him better. In my mind, I could see all my broken pieces coming together into this wonderful marble statue—and then the Lord interrupted me. He wants me to bring my broken self to Him and pile all the pieces in a heap. From that offering, He will raise up a new creation, His own child ready to serve Him and bring Him glory.

Exodus 20:25 says, “If you use stones to build my altar, use only natural, uncut stones. Do not shape the stones with a tool, for that would make the altar unfit for holy use” (NLT). We offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1), and He does not want us to shape ourselves before we come to Him. Our own effort does not make us acceptable to Him; no tool of ours will make our lives pleasing.

However, He is delighted when we bring our lives to Him and pile them in a heap and then worship Him. This is the picture of every altar in the Old Testament, and from the New we know that altar is a picture of ourselves. The service and praise that arises from a heaped altar is pure and holy, set apart by God Himself, and not hewn by our own hand.