Thirty Days of Thanksgiving and Worship Sýnishorn

Yes, Dancing!

Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.
2 Samuel 6:14

Although there are many accounts of King David’s romance with God found in the Old Testament, surely this story of David’s dancing before the Lord with all his might in worship surpasses every one of them.

David doesn’t care what people think – including his wife. He doesn’t care how undignified he might seem or how off-the-charts-nutso he might appear. David is worshiping with abandon the Almighty as the Ark of the Covenant returns to Jerusalem. The very presence of God – under the Old Testament – is returning to His people. If anything can cause an explosion of unbridled praise, God’s presence is first and foremost.

David’s display of untamed joy, effervescent emotion, and unadulterated adoration comes from a deep well within him of the Father’s nearness, care, and power. David is not just a king; he is El Shaddai’s friend. David knows the Lord.

Yet, for us, of all the physical elements of worship, dancing probably receives the least amount of attention. It can make us feel clumsy and uncomfortable. It can be misunderstood or rendered inappropriate. And, yes, we may physically not be able to do it. Yet, we cannot deny the power and beauty of dancing in worship as seen in the Scriptures. Dance is the celebration of God’s might and His miracles.

In the embrace of the New Covenant we live in – God’s presence no longer is manifest in the Ark. His presence now lives in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God lives in us. Let’s take a moment and ponder this wonder. I mean really. Let’s stop and allow this truth to drip into our hearts and minds. And next? Let’s dance with David before Him.