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.”

A Declaration of Ownership

Psalm 24:1-2 – “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.” Psalm 24 is the third part of a trilogy with Psalm 22 and 23. David opens Psalm 22 prophetically with the words Jesus would say on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?” Psalm 23 reveals our Lord as the Great Shepherd who cares for His sheep. Psalm 24 reveals the Lord as the King of Glory. Psalm 24 begins with a declaration of ownership. The Psalmist identifies the Lord as the Creator. Psalm 24:2 says, “He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. Psalm 89:11 says, “The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.” The beginning of cr...

Rebuilding the Broken Altar of Prayer

In Matthew 21: 12-13 , “ Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Jesus made this declaration, “My house shall be called a house of prayer!” I believe that God is calling us back to the altar of prayer. For several weeks the Lord has dealt with me about rebuilding the broken altar of prayer in our personal and corporate lives. If we are going to see spiritual breakthrough in our churches and communities then we must rebuild and return to the altar of prayer. Wayman Rogers writes, “The ministry of prayer is the most important of all ministries in the church. Prayer creates the atmosphere and binds the powers of darkness so the gospel of Jesus can go forward and the church can prosper....

The Tent Peg of Jael

Judges 4:21-22 – “Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.” The book of Judges covered a chaotic time in Israel’s history. A key Scripture for Judges in found in Judges 21:25, “Every man did was right in his own eyes.” There were seven cycles of apostasy, where the covenant children of God would turn away from the principles of the Word of God. When they had godly leadership they would serve the Lord. When that leader would die they would turn f...

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