It is a place where we can take our petitions to God. The place where we can talk to our Lord and Savior. Only a few in the church today use the altar. God created it and sanctioned its use. Some will never use it because they are afraid.
Most people today see the altar as a holy place of prayer.
Too many altars in our churches today are collecting dust, when they should be washed with our tears. We find in the Old Testament that God required a sacrifice for the atonement of sins. Often the shedding of blood upon an altar was required. Usually an innocent lamb was slain. However other animals were sometimes offered.