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The Power of the Dance

Psalms 149:3 – “Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.”

            The Word of God encourages us to worship Him with the dance.  The Psalmist writes in Psalms 150:4, “Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!”  When God miraculously delivered Israel at the Red Sea, Miriam, the sister of Moses, took up a timbrel and led the women in dancing before the Lord. 

            In 1 Samuel 6:14-16 David danced before the Lord with all his might as they brought the Ark of the Covenant to the city of Jerusalem. As he twirled and leaped in worship his wife Michal, the daughter of Saul, saw him through the window and despised him in her heart.  True worship will often be criticized by those who do not discern the intentions of our hearts.

            On a recent mission trip to Panama in one of the services there was an intense time of worship. The beautiful people of Panama danced before the Lord with all their might in praise to the Lord.  This time of worship and ministry took place at the home of the Pastor. 

            As we worshipped, the Lord gave me some direction about the power of the dance.  Why do the people of God dance before the Lord in worship to Him?  There are three reasons why we worship God with the dance:

First, we dance to overcome oppression.  Worship has a way of lifting you out of the despair and sorrow you experience in life.  Isaiah 61:3 instructs to put on the “garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”  Praise is important because it empowers you to focus your eyes on the One alone who is able to make all grace abound.  Our praise is a declaration of His goodness no matter our current circumstances.

Secondly, we dance to overcome the opposition of the enemy.  When we seek to obey God we will be opposed by an unseen enemy.  The Apostle Paul reveals this enemy in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Praise will put the enemy to flight.  James 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” 


Third, we dance because we are overcomers.  Revelation 12:11 identifies this enemy as “the accuser of the brethren.”  The Apostle Peter refers to him as “a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  We dance in worship simply because we are more than just survivors, we are overcomers.  We overcome the enemy through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 8:37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  Why do we dance in worship to our Lord?  Jesus reveals the answer in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

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