I had a special request for my husband when we first started getting to know each other: Please don’t say “I love you” until you are ready to make a commitment and propose.

Love was sacred to me, and I needed some assurance that he was willing to make sacrifices and be devoted to me before he made the statement.

I was trying to guard my heart and not give in to emotions. I still fondly remember the way I felt when he looked at me or how natural it felt to converse with him….it didn’t matter who else was in the room, my heartstrings were being pulled.

But, I knew that I needed a pledge.

And he honored my request.

The day he proposed was the first time I heard those precious words. Until that time in our relationship, he proved that he meant it even if he hadn’t said it.

In the Old Testament, the altar was the place where the Israelites made sacrifices as directed by God. As the sacrifice was burned, the incense went up to the Lord in worship.

This is where our holy God met with his beloved people.

David refers to these sacrifices in Psalm 141 when he says, “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.”

The sacrifice…and David’s prayers….were pleasing to God. God loved His people so much that He wanted to have a relationship with them and desired this precious time with them.

Just as He does with you and me.

Today, we don’t need to build a physical altar because our heart is one. When we worship through song or prayer, it rises up to our Father as incense, and it pleases Him.

God’s love for me is so much stronger than what I felt for my husband those years ago and for what I feel for him today.

It’s an agape love, an unconditional “God” love.

And while I can’t even possibly imagine how much more I could love my husband, I am eternally grateful for a perfect God who loves bigger than I could ever.

Kari Job’s beautiful song takes me back to my First Love, my Father God.

May my love for God supersede my love for anyone or anything else.

And when I am in His presence, may I not be distracted by anyone or anything else.

And “May the flame of my heart always be lit, I wanna burn forever like this.” (lyrics from First Love by Kari Job)

~Elizabeth (Betsy)