The Lord of the Dance

When the Holy Spirit abides in us, He desires to develop His fruit in our life (Galatians 5:22-23). He cannot force us to live a fruitful life; therefore, He wants us to allow Him to flow in and through us. Our surrender enters us into a dance of joy with the Lord of the dance, and we sing songs to our Lord day and night (Psalm 149:3; Ephesians 5:19).

We sway with Him to the music He places in our heart, getting lost in the melody of His love and dedicating our life to His service. We praise Him with the tambourines and the dance (Psalm 150:4). Twirling in harmony with His melody (Psalm 149:3), we dance in joy because of His peace and provision (Jeremiah 31:4). There is always a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

Those who seek the Lord lack nothing that we need to prosper in this life (Psalm 34:10). The Lord is our light and protection, and He gives us His kindness and respect. He withholds no good thing from those who walk in Holiness before Him (Psalm 84:11). As we submit to God and allow His peace to rule in our heart, He will make our way prosperous (Job 22:21).

God never allows His righteous ones to go hungry (Proverbs 10:3). When life devastates us, our heart loses its hope, but Jesus turns our mourning into dancing (Lamentations 5:15; Psalm 31:11). Then, we can once again praise Him with musical instruments and dance before Him in joy (Psalm 150:4, 149:3; 2 Samuel 6:14). God delights in the praises and love of His Saints (Zephaniah 3:17).

Prayer:

Father God, there is no need for us to live in fear and anxiety about what we need, because You know everything about us, and You graciously and generously supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19; Matthew 6:31-32). You provide for us and protect us all of the days of our life (Psalm 84:11). You give us all good things to enjoy (Matthew 7:11). Teach us to dance with You, especially when life gets too hard to handle.

Thought for the Day:

Our Father in Heaven gives us whatever we ask, if we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. - 1 John 3:22

Stable and Secure

Read: Hebrews 1:10-12

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” – Hebrews 13: 8

For my fifth birthday, my Daddy took me to ride the carousel. I grinned with delight at the melodious music, vibrantly painted horses and the metal poles dancing with glittering lights. I climbed upon my valiant stallion full of anticipation and bliss.

Suddenly, the carousel started to move.

The abrupt jolt shocked and terrified me. The horse beneath me started to rise and fall. I almost lost my seating and I heaved in a great breath of air and held it with all my might. I squeezed my eyes shut and wondered why my daddy was being so mean to me. When I could hold my breath no longer, I cried out in horror and grabbed the horse’s neck to keep from falling.

I looked up to call my dad to help me; but he was gone! My panic increased to terror, and I screamed, feeling abandoned. Just then I spied him, still standing by the gate and waving to me with a joyful smile. I started to call out to him, but in an instant the carousel turned and he was gone again.

Of course, my father never moved. I caught glimpses of him now and again, and the sight of him brought me some comfort. I did not enjoy the carousel, though, as my father hoped I would. I clung to the horse’s neck the whole time and I never allowed myself to relax and experience the lilting melody, the pulsating colors and the breeze wisping my hair. When the ride ended I saw my Daddy still standing by the gate with his comforting smile and his hand outstretched toward mine.

Life’s circumstances are like a carousel - appealing at first with its glitz and glitter, but then frightening when things begin spinning out of our control. We accuse our Heavenly Father of abandoning us in these terrorizing experiences. Of course, He never moves (Hebrews 13:5). He is always there, within us.

Even if the mountains disappear and the hills fall flat, His steadfast love shall never stop flowing over us. His compassion and covenant of peace shall always remain with us (Isaiah 5:10). We are the ones who get carried away by insecure moments of life and lose sight of Him. We take our eyes off of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and we focus instead on the insecurity of the circumstances all around us.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, You are the same yesterday, today and forever. When fear rises in our hearts during some daunting experiences in our life, we no longer feel Your presence. You are still there, however, waiting for us to come around full circle and to put our hand in Your nail scarred hand.

Thought for the Day

If we trust our Father, we can relax and actually enjoy the ride!