I snapped this picture in our basement garage while my husband was down there tinkering away. Watching him work made me realize how often I approach my own life the same way.
I put my head down in my own little world and workshop of self-effort.
I try to fix everything myself. I analyze every problem, make another plan, work a little harder, think a little longer, throw a few more sparks, hoping that eventually something will catch. But all that effort can leave me with a pile of smoke and exhaustion instead of the fire of God’s presence.
It reminded me that there is a difference between building projects and building an altar.
Psalm 5:3 says:
“In the morning, LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and watch expectantly.”
The Hebrew paints a beautiful picture. The phrase “lay my requests before You” comes from the idea of arranging or setting something in order—like a priest carefully placing wood and a sacrifice on the altar. David wasn’t casually tossing prayers toward heaven. He intentionally prepared his heart before God.
Then he did something many of us forget.
He watched expectantly.
He prayed believing God would answer.
Holy fire has never been something we manufacture. Throughout Scripture, when God desired the sacrifice, He supplied the fire. The people prepared the altar, but the flame belonged to Him.
Sometimes I spend more energy trying to ignite my own plans than simply placing my life before my Father.
The fire doesn’t begin in the garage of self-reliance.

Fuel for Holy Fire
It begins in the quiet place.
It begins with an open Bible.
It begins on our knees.
It begins when we stop talking long enough to listen to the God who has already spoken through His Word.
If you’re waking up feeling more like ashes than fire today, maybe your answer isn’t trying harder.
Maybe it’s preparing the altar.
Open the Scriptures.
Lay your worries, dreams, fears, and plans before your Father.
Then wait with expectation.
God has never asked His children to manufacture holy fire.
He simply asks us to come, prepare the altar, and trust Him to provide what only He can.
Prayer
Father, forgive me for the times I rely on my own strength instead of seeking Yours. Teach me to begin each day by laying my life before You with an open heart and an open Bible. Replace my striving with surrender, my anxiety with expectancy, and my self-made sparks with the holy fire that comes only from Your presence. Amen.
Your sister in Christ, Sunnye Anne☀️

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