“And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets” 1 Chronicles 13:8
When I was young, school dances were popular, yet I never went to one. It was not as if I was not allowed to go, I was afraid. I had danced with my sisters and mother but I’m certain they were not playing waltz’s or even Ukrainian tunes at a school dance. Even if they played those tunes, I still would not have gone because I was afraid; afraid of what people might say. I did not have the courage to commit myself to truly enjoying the music. I liked music and even played several instruments and whenever I heard a tune I liked, I’d tap my toes and sometimes drummed the beat on my lap with my hands. But, I never got up and danced, I never allowed myself to feel the music with my whole being.
Are you, as a declared believer a toe-tapper and not fully engaged in your experience with Jesus?
Some believers are willing to sit back and watch what others are doing, and even join in a little, but if truth be known, they are afraid to let Jesus fill their being. They are afraid to jump up with raised hands and declare Jesus is their Lord because of what friends, or colleagues or neighbours might think. They are afraid to examine the call of a disciple, the call to be a follower of Christ and take their faith outside their front door and show it to a world eager to dance for Jesus.
With the help of my then girlfriend – now wife, I overcame my fear of dancing. When I have danced, friends have joked they thought they were going to have to come to my aide because they believed I was having seizures when in fact I was experiencing the joy of music. With the help of the Holy Spirit I have found, we don’t need to be bystanders watching others enjoy an experience with God, but we can, like David, let ourselves feel the joy of the Lord.
Are you willing to ask yourself “am I holding back from experiencing God with my whole heart, my soul and my mind?” Would you ask God to release your will, so it can be in tune with His? Will you choose to dance in celebration for the Lord?