I'm Dancin': Part One
This past Sunday I was supremely blessed by a beautiful lady in our congregation, Sister Lujan. A minister’s wife and daughter, she has an astounding faith despite some pretty incredible trials she has faced.
Despite all, she has raised six sons in truth and continues to live her life and sing with an anointing that shakes our church every time she hits the mic. A few services back, she sang ‘I will dance like David danced.’ Although we sing the song as a chorus already, the song moved me to tears in the floor and later to dancing in the aisles as the power of an anointed and surrendered life belted the words.
For those of you who know me, you know that the last few months on the job have been very difficult for me. The economy is affecting many different industries, which in turn are tightening their belts so to speak. There have been days that I couldn’t bring a smile to my face…not even just one time. And even when I sought to encourage others, I felt that my own prayers were hitting the ceiling and bouncing back.
But…this simple song ministered to my heart:
When the Spirit of the Lord moves upon my heart, I will dance like David danced. I will dance. I will dance. I will dance like David danced.
In the beginning the Spirit of the Lord…it moved upon the waters. And now it’s moving within men’s hearts…
Those words gripped my soul, which seemed to languish in its own fears and pain. I realized that if the Spirit of the Lord were truly moving upon my heart, the joy of the Holy Ghost would be evident in such a manner that I could not help but dance.
But for weeks, I had not been dancing. I had been doing well to just get up in the morning.
I don’t know about you but when I’m down or I’m facing a trial, the last thing I can do is dance. If I’m having to fight away the tears that keep brimming and cannot even bring a smile to my lips, how am I expected to dance?
These were the questions I asked as I wept at my pew Sunday morning while the rest of the church clapped and stomped their feet to the lively beat.
Did my sorrow mean that God’s Spirit no longer moved in my heart? Was something wrong with me? How had sorrow, fear, and pain taken such complete hold upon me?
Acts 13, Romans 14 and 15, and even 1 Thessalonians all refer to the joy of the Holy Ghost. So, where was my joy…where was my dancing?
Did God expect me to never have a bad day?
Going Shopping
First, for those of you who know exactly where I’m coming from—most likely because you are there too—let me just reassure you that God understands us. He understands our bad days. John 2:25 tells us that Jesus “needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”
God knows our fragility. So, what is the answer when the joy of the Holy Ghost seems to elude us?
The answer could be summed up in a quote one of my former supervisors used to say: Fake it til you make it.
Sounds spiritual, right?
At the time, he was referring to my promotion to District Partnership Banking Officer for our bank. It was a new position even for the company and so I wasn’t quite sure where to begin or how things would work out. His advice? Fake it til you make it!
He told me to just start visiting businesses and to carry myself like I was already successful. No one need know that I was a novice; it was all about presentation.
Now, indeed, the matters of the heart are not “all about presentation,” but there is something to be said for praising until your need is met!
You see, David said in Isaiah 61:3, that God came “to give unto us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
Our problem is, we can see Jesus as savior…otherwise, why would we witness, be baptized in Jesus’ name, or teach Bible studies?
We can see Jesus as healer…that’s why we pray for the sick and support the World Network of Prayer.
But do we see Jesus as the giver of beauty, joy, and praise…when we have none to offer of ourselves?
You see, our problem is that we languish in that spirit of heaviness. We obsess over what is wrong in our lives rather than how God can bring us through. We consider the obstacle from every angle, marveling at how large it is, how unforgiving it is, and the horrible effects it is having on us.
All the while, God is standing in the dressing room holding up a garment of praise for us to try on. Almost like a fine clothier, he stands ready to robe us if we will simply adorn this garment.
Do we feel like praising, shouting, smiling, laughing, dancing in our storms? Indeed not.
But consider what the scripture says: He gives us the garment of praise.
A garment, by definition, is:
Notice, a garment is an outer covering, meaning that it is not conditional upon the contents or condition of the heart, mind, organs, or even the situation of the man. A garment is used to clothe a person. Consider the meaning of the verb ‘clothe’:
Note that to clothe is to cover. Furthermore, to clothe a person does not mean you simply wrap something around their shoulders. If you clothe your children, you are also providing the object with which they are covered!
From these definitions, let us better understand the ‘garment of praise.’ The garment of praise is an outer covering or an outer manifestation that is not necessarily indicative of the heart’s condition. Just as a man riddled with cancer on the inside can adorn a Giorgio Armani suit on the outside, we can adorn ourselves in praise even in our darkest hours.
It is this praise that makes us comely—or attractive. Psalm 33:1 says, “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.” Notice, it did not say…
• If everything is going well in your life, praise…
• If you are smiling and laughing because life is so fun, praise…
• If you have been perfect and made no mistakes, praise…
No, it simply says …praise.
Where will that praise come from when we are hurting and down? Where will the strength to dance originate?
By the definition of ‘to clothe,’ we understand that God will not only wrap you in an atmosphere of praise but he will provide the praise with which you can rejoice. That means it doesn’t have to come from your innards…He will provide it so that you can rejoice in the Holy Ghost when in the storm!
Often, God is our last resort when times get tough, but isn’t it time that He became our FIRST resort!
The garment of praise is the act of worship despite how you feel…and allowing the Spirit of God to take over and handle the rest. If we will engage in an act of praise, God will meet the need and give you real joy as you worship Him!
Going Into Battle With a Praise on My Mind
Despite all, she has raised six sons in truth and continues to live her life and sing with an anointing that shakes our church every time she hits the mic. A few services back, she sang ‘I will dance like David danced.’ Although we sing the song as a chorus already, the song moved me to tears in the floor and later to dancing in the aisles as the power of an anointed and surrendered life belted the words.
For those of you who know me, you know that the last few months on the job have been very difficult for me. The economy is affecting many different industries, which in turn are tightening their belts so to speak. There have been days that I couldn’t bring a smile to my face…not even just one time. And even when I sought to encourage others, I felt that my own prayers were hitting the ceiling and bouncing back.
But…this simple song ministered to my heart:
When the Spirit of the Lord moves upon my heart, I will dance like David danced. I will dance. I will dance. I will dance like David danced.
In the beginning the Spirit of the Lord…it moved upon the waters. And now it’s moving within men’s hearts…
Those words gripped my soul, which seemed to languish in its own fears and pain. I realized that if the Spirit of the Lord were truly moving upon my heart, the joy of the Holy Ghost would be evident in such a manner that I could not help but dance.
But for weeks, I had not been dancing. I had been doing well to just get up in the morning.
I don’t know about you but when I’m down or I’m facing a trial, the last thing I can do is dance. If I’m having to fight away the tears that keep brimming and cannot even bring a smile to my lips, how am I expected to dance?
These were the questions I asked as I wept at my pew Sunday morning while the rest of the church clapped and stomped their feet to the lively beat.
Did my sorrow mean that God’s Spirit no longer moved in my heart? Was something wrong with me? How had sorrow, fear, and pain taken such complete hold upon me?
Acts 13, Romans 14 and 15, and even 1 Thessalonians all refer to the joy of the Holy Ghost. So, where was my joy…where was my dancing?
Did God expect me to never have a bad day?
Going Shopping
First, for those of you who know exactly where I’m coming from—most likely because you are there too—let me just reassure you that God understands us. He understands our bad days. John 2:25 tells us that Jesus “needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”
God knows our fragility. So, what is the answer when the joy of the Holy Ghost seems to elude us?
The answer could be summed up in a quote one of my former supervisors used to say: Fake it til you make it.
Sounds spiritual, right?
At the time, he was referring to my promotion to District Partnership Banking Officer for our bank. It was a new position even for the company and so I wasn’t quite sure where to begin or how things would work out. His advice? Fake it til you make it!
He told me to just start visiting businesses and to carry myself like I was already successful. No one need know that I was a novice; it was all about presentation.
Now, indeed, the matters of the heart are not “all about presentation,” but there is something to be said for praising until your need is met!
You see, David said in Isaiah 61:3, that God came “to give unto us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
Our problem is, we can see Jesus as savior…otherwise, why would we witness, be baptized in Jesus’ name, or teach Bible studies?
We can see Jesus as healer…that’s why we pray for the sick and support the World Network of Prayer.
But do we see Jesus as the giver of beauty, joy, and praise…when we have none to offer of ourselves?
You see, our problem is that we languish in that spirit of heaviness. We obsess over what is wrong in our lives rather than how God can bring us through. We consider the obstacle from every angle, marveling at how large it is, how unforgiving it is, and the horrible effects it is having on us.
All the while, God is standing in the dressing room holding up a garment of praise for us to try on. Almost like a fine clothier, he stands ready to robe us if we will simply adorn this garment.
Do we feel like praising, shouting, smiling, laughing, dancing in our storms? Indeed not.
But consider what the scripture says: He gives us the garment of praise.
A garment, by definition, is:
Notice, a garment is an outer covering, meaning that it is not conditional upon the contents or condition of the heart, mind, organs, or even the situation of the man. A garment is used to clothe a person. Consider the meaning of the verb ‘clothe’:
Note that to clothe is to cover. Furthermore, to clothe a person does not mean you simply wrap something around their shoulders. If you clothe your children, you are also providing the object with which they are covered!
From these definitions, let us better understand the ‘garment of praise.’ The garment of praise is an outer covering or an outer manifestation that is not necessarily indicative of the heart’s condition. Just as a man riddled with cancer on the inside can adorn a Giorgio Armani suit on the outside, we can adorn ourselves in praise even in our darkest hours.
It is this praise that makes us comely—or attractive. Psalm 33:1 says, “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.” Notice, it did not say…
• If everything is going well in your life, praise…
• If you are smiling and laughing because life is so fun, praise…
• If you have been perfect and made no mistakes, praise…
No, it simply says …praise.
Where will that praise come from when we are hurting and down? Where will the strength to dance originate?
By the definition of ‘to clothe,’ we understand that God will not only wrap you in an atmosphere of praise but he will provide the praise with which you can rejoice. That means it doesn’t have to come from your innards…He will provide it so that you can rejoice in the Holy Ghost when in the storm!
Often, God is our last resort when times get tough, but isn’t it time that He became our FIRST resort!
The garment of praise is the act of worship despite how you feel…and allowing the Spirit of God to take over and handle the rest. If we will engage in an act of praise, God will meet the need and give you real joy as you worship Him!
Going Into Battle With a Praise on My Mind
Often, praising during the storm isn’t easy, but that was the exact prescription for victory for the children of Israel in the Old Testament!
2 Chronicles 20 gives the account of a battle in which the children of Israel had no chance of winning…by logical means. The Moabites and Ammonites had gathered together against the nation of Israel during the reign of Jehoshaphat. In fear, the king commanded his people to fast and pray.
God’s answer indeed came as His presence infiltrated the congregation; his message? “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's” (2 Chronicles 20:15). The Israelites were commanded to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Jehoshaphat took it a step further, however. He “appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten” (2 Chronicles 20:21-22).
Their praise built an ambush for their enemy. While our problems today often do not involve a specific, human enemy, there is an accuser of the brethren, one who afflicts mankind, who walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
But we can defeat him….through our praise! Our praise welcomes the presence of the Lord, thereby setting an ambush for the enemy!
We are given—through the power of the Holy Ghost—weapons through which we are able to dance into battle…and I am not referring to the armor of God we so often quote!
2 Chronicles 20 gives the account of a battle in which the children of Israel had no chance of winning…by logical means. The Moabites and Ammonites had gathered together against the nation of Israel during the reign of Jehoshaphat. In fear, the king commanded his people to fast and pray.
God’s answer indeed came as His presence infiltrated the congregation; his message? “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's” (2 Chronicles 20:15). The Israelites were commanded to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Jehoshaphat took it a step further, however. He “appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten” (2 Chronicles 20:21-22).
Their praise built an ambush for their enemy. While our problems today often do not involve a specific, human enemy, there is an accuser of the brethren, one who afflicts mankind, who walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
But we can defeat him….through our praise! Our praise welcomes the presence of the Lord, thereby setting an ambush for the enemy!
We are given—through the power of the Holy Ghost—weapons through which we are able to dance into battle…and I am not referring to the armor of God we so often quote!
Think about it and let's get back together tomorrow!
