I am with you in 2026: the timeless promise of His presence that requires an altar.

Having seen a successful breakthrough at Rehoboth, you might think Isaac would be content to remain there, in the spacious place of flourishing. But he didn’t. He continued to move on. He was glad he did, for something happened in the next place he arrived at.

“From there he went up to Beersheba. ²⁴ That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” ²⁵ Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.” (Genesis 26 v 23-25)

That first night in Beersheba, God appeared to him. The beautiful thing that God does is to take the promise given to the previous generation and make it active in the present, in Isaac’s. Above all, after all the opposition and conflict, God says the timeless words we all need to be reminded of: “I am with you.”

Sometimes it’s not finding the well that is most important, but it is hearing the voice of God that reassures us of His presence.

Isaac builds an altar. It was the right thing to do.

God had appeared, maybe in a dream or a vision, but it left Isaac with a definite realisation that:-

• The Divine presence was here.
• Isaac was not God.

This is the beauty of the altars in the Bible. It represents worship and surrender.

Interestingly, he pitched his tent close to the altar. Shouldn’t we bring our whole lives to the altar? The Apostle Paul would say we should get on the altar, calling us to be living sacrifices (Romans 12).

We need to structure our lives so that the altar is central, not an add-on.

He instructed that another well be dug, and the provision flowed.

Beersheba was special not because of the water flowing from the well, not because he had pitched his tent, but because God had appeared to him and he had built an altar.

Beersheba is the place where you recognise that the promises of previous generations and those found in the Bible are true not only for 2026 but for you because God is with you as much as He is with anyone.