Category: Dance

I want to be there when the Lord breaks out in song. And why would He do such a thing? I believe His joy is founded in great relief, the kind of relief we feel when we have arrived after an arduous trip; or the relief of hearing good news after a period of dead silence. I believe all that applies to prophet Zephaniah’s description of a very special day: the day of the Lord.

It is the day when the Lord comes home from a long waging battle. In His arms he holds the redeemed. He brings them home safely. All the angst, blood and tears are now forgotten. With the battle stains still on Him, the Lord kicks off His warrior boots and starts singing. There is no “I told you so!” and “If you had only listened you would have avoided trouble”. Our Savior wastes no time with the past. He is in the “here and now.” The Lord tremendously enjoys the moment when He sees us safe and sound.

In the beginning of all things, I imagine the Trinity singing three-part harmony and dancing with joy when the first life forms were created. God, the pioneer of song and dance, initiated the first song and danced the first dance.

Dance steps go well with a song. Indeed, dance and music are inseparable. And music is one of the most inspiring mediums I know. I believe singing is a primal human need just as eating and sleeping. Music gives us wings.

It is better to dance than to walk and to sing than to talk. We see dancers hit the dance floor who don’t seem to have a contract with gravity; we hear spectacular vocal performances that move us. Maybe this stops you from singing your own song and dancing your own step, but don’t let someone else deter you from doing what only you can do.

Nature swaying to the heartbeat of the universe, the Lord invites all of us to His dance floor. We could not make Him any happier when we accept His invitation. The Lord does not take the trust we put in Him for granted. He is glad when we choose Him; in fact, He is so enthused that He sings over us.

Life with God is no walk in the park; it’s more like a dance to an unknown melody. In His embrace we swing in rhythm with His steps. We adapt to the constant changes and never stop learning. Moving forward in faith, we know that the Lord our God is with us every step of the way.

The sound of the ocean is like a breathing mechanism. Breathing in and breathing out, the waves come and go. Rolling in, they regularly toss the coastline by rhythmically retreating to make way for yet more waves to come. Back and forth it goes, day and night.

And just like the ocean, there’s a rhythm to many things. There’s the drumbeat of rainfall on the roof, the pitter-patter of naked feet hitting the floor, the rhythm of rustling leaves caressed by a persistent breeze, or the forceful knock of howling winds shaking everything in its path.

I believe life is rhythmic because the Lord has rhythm. Wave after wave His mercies wash all over us and renew us from within. Walking with the Lord we learn to ride His waves. Breathing in His love and breathing out our song, we receive and give back and then receive some more. Blessed rhythm of Life!

As time goes by we learn to appreciate God’s timing and His seasons. Looking at life this way feels a bit like dancing. Fixing our eyes on Jesus we’ll find a sense of rhythm – and we’ll find an expert dance partner too. The Lord of the Dance asks every one of us: “May I have this dance with you?”

We all dance a bit differently to the drumbeat of life. We are all loved by God, but our dances are not the same. We learn our dance steps as we go. Life is full of surprises. The Lord will teach us how to take one step at a time and not to shy away from big leaps of faith.

God and His children are indeed a dream team: He is the Lord of the Dance and we are the song He whistles.