"David and all the house of Israel danced before the Lord with all their might, with singing, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals." - 2 Sam. 6:5
We are a people of praise. This is not a title to be taken lightly. Praise is firstly a duty out of justice, something owed to God because He is our Maker. To give glory to His Name is one of the greatest gifts we can give Him! But we, too, are blessed when we praise. Our bodies and our very selves crave this type of worship because it reminds us on some deeper level of who we are -- our identity as children of the Father -- and our place in His creation.
Why did David dance before the Ark of the Covenant? Perhaps because a simple prayer spoken with head bowed and hands folded could not suffice to express the tidal wave of love that was bursting through the walls of his heart at that very moment! Because the Spirit of the Lord was likely shaking his arms and legs, compelling him to stand and give glory to God with his whole body and soul! I certainly am not criticizing fervent, contemplative, silent prayer - it, too, is a necessary part of worship - but I would gently question anyone who practices this type of prayer to the exclusion of the other, claiming that it better fits their personality or preferred style of worship. Are we embarrassed to raise our hands to our Father in Heaven because we wonder what others will think of us? Are we too prideful to sing out to our Lord Jesus Christ because our voices are not melodious or pleasing to the human ear?
We can only reach the crux of worship when we stop concentrating on what is "acceptable" according to our own personal and societal norms and instead fix our gaze solidly on the King of Heaven. When prayer becomes an intimate conversation with Him, when we can gaze upon Him in the midst of the tumult that surrounds us and see only His beauty, feel only His presence, and hear only His words of love, then can we praise Him in true freedom of heart.
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to Your Name, Most High!" - Ps. 92:2
