It's time to Sing and Dance!
Written by: John Flanner - 2008
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“Rejoice, rejoice and again I say rejoice!” These words were penned a long time ago not by someone who had just won the Lottery, but by Paul, who had been severely flogged and thrown into prison simply for doing the will of God. Paul, a highly intelligent and former devout Jew, had once terrorised the Christian Church, cursing and killing any who dared stand in his way.
After his dramatic conversion to Christ on the Damascus road, however, Paul underwent a radical transformation. God turned him around 180 degrees to the point whereby he became as passionate for Christ as he once was against him and maybe even more so. Now with the glorious sense of being forgiven and with the certainty of eternal life reverberating in his bones he fearlessly preached to all “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved”.
It appears as if Paul received a mighty revelation right at the beginning of his new life as a Christian. He realised there had been a great change take place within his very being. Truths like “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation – the old things have passed away and all things have become new”, “It’s Christ in you, the hope of glory” and “If the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you, he will quicken (heal) your mortal body” became his driving force. As you read of the way in which Paul bounced back from major setbacks and disappointments you are left with the feeling that inside him was an irrepressible, powerful Holy Spirit.
This was never more in evidence than in Acts 16, Paul in the same prison referred to above, with his friend Silas, was singing hymns and worshipping God at midnight even though he must have been cold, sore from the flogging and maybe even wondering why God had allowed this to happen. There was a prophetic song in Paul’s heart; a burning fire that nothing could quench – those rivers of living water just had to flow out. The more you squeezed Paul the more the rivers of praise would flow.
The praises ascended into the very presence of God and moved his heart. An earthquake came, the prison doors flew open, the chains fell off every prisoner and the gaoler and all his household were saved and baptised. Wow! The power of an anointed song and the sacrifice of praise.
No matter what you are going through right now, just maybe it is time to sing and rejoice in the presence of God. He is worthy of your praise no matter what your circumstances and you never know, your breakthrough could just be at hand – he is after all “Lord of the breakthrough”.
Do not assume that because you are surrounded by trouble on every hand that you are outside the will of God. In fact the opposite may be true if Paul is anything to go by.
Back in the book of Daniel we read the story of the three Hebrew young men who refused to bow down to the King’s golden statue and as a result they were thrown into the furnace. The King was so enraged at their stance that he ordered the fire to be heated up seven times hotter than usual. The three young men were thrown, bound and gagged into the fire and later when the furnace door was opened by the guards just to check that they were well and truly dead, they were astonished to find four men in the fire dancing and free from their bonds – they were moved to exclaim that the fourth man was like the Son of God. What a revelation that must have been! Again, as we saw with Paul above, God used this time of testing as an opportunity to reach the lost. The evil King on discovering what had happened, fell to his knees and worshipped God.
Are you going through fiery trials right now? May I suggest that you begin to dance before the Lord. Remember King David, taking off his clothes and dancing before the Lord with all his might. When his wife ridiculed him the King responded with these wonderful words “I’ll become even more undignified than this”.
It’s time for you and me to become far less dignified in our praise. We need to be extravagant with our praises, sing with a loud voice and dance exuberantly before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is worthy and you never know, but our sweet worship may just thrill the heart of God so much that he is moved to act on our behalf and on behalf of others too in a remarkable way.
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