Do you know that Scripture speaks of dancing? David danced
in front of the Lord, even with little clothing. He worshipped and praised as a
life style while he danced. Now there were detractors, even his wife Michal.
That will be the way, especially today for a Christian. “The joy of the Lord is our
strength,” says Nehemiah 8:10. I find rejoicing in and praising the
Lord a power producing and healing lifestyle. So it is no surprise that I find
King David’s Psalm 30 one of great encouragement in trials. I have written of God’s incredible healing in
my life through His word in my book Great
is God’s faithfulness. Read and
meditate on these words:
I
will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And
have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O
Lord my God, I cried out to You,
And
You healed me.
O
Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You
have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing
praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And
give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For
His anger is but for a moment,
His
favor is for life;
Weeping
may endure for a night,
But
joy comes in the morning.
Now
in my prosperity I said,
“I
shall never be moved.”
Lord,
by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;
You
hid Your face, and I was troubled.
I
cried out to You, O Lord;
And
to the Lord I made supplication:
“What
profit is there in my blood,
When
I go down to the pit?
Will
the dust praise You?
Will
it declare Your truth?
Hear,
O Lord, and have mercy on me;
Lord,
be my helper!”
You have
turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You
have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To
the end that my glory may sing
praise to You and not be silent.
O
Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
This psalm was written to be sung at the dedication of the
temple. But God forbid David from building it as he had put his trust in large
armies and not God. He was the only “man after God’s own heart,” but he
also shed blood with the sword more than was pleasing to God. He and Israel had
many enemies, so I probably would have done the same thing. But God must be
headed, for as Isaiah 55:9 says, “My ways are higher than your ways, and my
thoughts higher than your thoughts.” We must seek Him and His word which will never
return void or without accomplishing its purpose. I wrote of how God had healed
me of my own sins as I was planning for a new hospital to be built after
leading a financial and quality turnaround of the one that stood. But my own
arrogance and fears of life had taken its toll. But God was faithful and
brought me to my knees and into His grace and mercy just as King David. So
David now rejoiced as God had lifted him from the pit or being killed. He
praised God. “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may
endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (v.5). He regains his
strength in his despair even making him stand strong like a mountain. He cries
out to God that had been silent to David for a time, perhaps when he was acting
on his own direction. Just as David, I cried out in the wilderness and God
transformed me, making me new in Him. David prayed for mercy and help and God
now responded. “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have put off my
sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, O Lord my God, I will give thanks to
You forever” (vvs. 11-12).
God has brought him, as he had me, out of the valley of the
shadow of death to use another one of David’s psalms of life in psalm 23. David
like us went through trials, troubles, losses and gains, highs, lows and
exaltation. Yet always he sought the Lord and His strength. Therefore the Lord
lifted him up in due time.
Are you going through deep valleys of pain, loss, illness or
trials? I suspect if you are not, you
have just come out from one or you will be going into one again. That is just
life, it is not a dark view of it, it is how it works. If you are not, perhaps
you should look inside and see if you have confessed your sins, repented and
sought the mercy and healing of the Lord in your life. If you have not, you are at risk to be on your
own to deal with your valley. You need a “Guide” through the valley. If you
receive His love and forgiveness as your Savior and Lord, He will do it. He
will guide and turn your grief into joy and dancing.
In our lives we will have times of grieving. This is normal
and it is a definite and difficult process of moving through the valley of the
shadow of death. Meditate on this thought. God will cause you to “walk through”
and the “shadows” will not hurt you. Do not fear it, but go into it. Release
your fears into the Lord and let Him move you through to accomplish what He
wants you to learn in this valley. I once led a grief support group called Griefshare.” Its byline was “Turning mourning into joy.” Some people attending just walked or stormed
out screaming that it is ridiculous and uncaring to even think joy in mourning.
No, it is God’s plan to do it with you. Chose joy today and chose Jesus Christ,
who suffered for you, to be your “Valley Guide.”
Before we end this devotional go to You Tube and listen to
Lee Ann Womack as she sings, I Hope You
Dance.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-Z1YwaOiw
Prayer: God of the
universe, You are the Healer. You did not leave me to perish, but You were
faithful. I praise You and thank You for all You have done and will continue to
do in my life. Help me to be joyful and dance. AMEN
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.