I came to start a fire.

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. – Genesis 8:20 NKJV

For the first time in two years, his feet touch dry ground. When Noah finally steps out of the ark, he walks into a world no man has ever known. Now responsible for pioneering the stewardship of this new earth, he understands how vital it is for him to learn the land. And yet, he chooses not to explore the earth immediately. Sightseeing can wait. He’s got an altar to build.

And that is no small task given the circumstances.

Noah has to: find wood that is dry enough to burn, chop it into logs, assemble those logs into the base of an altar; locate sticks he can use to start a fire, find tinder (leaves, bark, fibers, twigs… anything that will kindle quickly); gather some of the clean animals that traveled on the ark, slay them, place them on top of the woodpile; start a fire by rubbing sticks together vigorously and creating enough friction for a spark, apply that spark to tinder in hopes of intensifying the flame, breathe on the flame until it matures into a higher fire, place the fire underneath the logs that will ultimately generate a blaze, and finally, keep feeding that fire until the sacrifices are completely consumed. This one act of worship could easily take hours and hours, but duration is not what makes it significant. Creativity is.

When Noah builds an altar, he functions as a co-creator and becomes the first man in Scripture to present a burnt offering. Although Abel presents a sacrifice that the Lord responds to with fire, Noah presents an offering to God from a fire that he created.[1] And as soon as Noah makes a fire, God makes a covenant. The Lord says to Noah, “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood […] This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come (Gen. 9:11a, 12).” Since the covenant applied to all generations, we still benefit from the promise God gave after Noah started a fire. Imagine how many people you could benefit by starting one of your own.

Like Noah, you have the power to create something that can touch nations and generations, and many times, you will sense the need to create when Holy Spirit leads you into a new season or place. When He shifts you, do like Noah and start a fire with your worship. Offer yourself to God afresh and invite Him to be Lord of every area in your life. This offering will create a fire that summons His presence and power, which you must have to carry out the work God has called you to do. So before you start a business or school or program or project, start a fire and recommit to worship. Give yourself to God before you give yourself to an assignment.

If you began an assignment without making a fresh commitment to the Lord, or if you have been tired, frustrated, or seem to be making little progress in a God-ordained undertaking, get back to your altar. There you can access divine covenant, new creativity and a greater capacity to bless generations by the Spirit of the Living God. Through the Spirit, you will work and worship in a manner that ignites a new passion for God in people around the globe. You may have been waiting to catch on fire, but nations are waiting on you to start one.

Go find some wood.

[1] See blog entitled, “Show some Respect,” for further explanation.