Dancing for God

I’m not a good dancer, but when my baseball team wins, or when I book a flight to a new destination, the urge to bust a move bubbles to the surface. Or even several moves. Joyful moves designed for the sheer joy of acting silly and making my husband laugh. Certainly not designed for public consumption.

In David’s cry to God, he desired his soul to dance for God. He wanted to experience the sheer satisfaction of receiving God’s merciful, generous forgiveness of sin—in his case, adultery—yet he yearned for more than a behind-closed-doors confession between himself and God. David wanted to be God’s vessel in helping others to know and find favor with God.

Our broken spirits can find this favor and experience the sheer joy of God’s forgiveness when we offer a wholehearted confession like David’s (Psalm 51:3-4). Such an admission frees us from the corruption of sin and strengthens our spirits to live for God. We gain teachings from the Spirit, and this knowledge puts praise on our lips for the One who rules heaven and earth. Praise that reaches the ears of others and begins another on the path to forgiveness.

Without a doubt, the spreading renown of the transforming power of God’s forgiveness merits a dance move for public consumption. Whether a subtle shimmy such as inviting a friend for coffee and sharing our own story of God’s healing our broken spirit, or a complete-with-jazz-hands testimony at Sunday service, our dance moves produce the joy of God in our lives as well as the lives of others.

Dear God, thank you for your generous forgiveness of my sins. Heal my broken spirit so I may dance for joy and spread the remarkable truth of living for you.

Throughout This Day: Write a list of praises to bring joy to your day, and when you reach a tough spot in the day, recite the praise and bust a move. Or think about ways you can reach out to friends with your testimony of a broken spirit healed by God.