“David was dancing before the LORD with all his might..”  2 Samuel 6:14

The other day I was blessed to get to spend some time babysitting my granddaughter Avery.  She will be two years old very soon and she is at an age where she wears her emotions on her sleeves.  There are times when she is upset and not happy when she does not get her own way but for the most part, Avery takes great joy out of life.  This day was no exception.  She decided that this particular afternoon would be a great time to listen to some music.  As soon as she got to our house she made a bee-line to our bedroom.  Avery recently learned how to turn on my wife’s CD radio/alarm clock on the night stand next to the bed.  It has a CD pre-loaded with some Spanish guitar music and apparently these tunes provide the perfect sounds and rhythm for her to display all of her moves.  She was twisting and turning and jumping and jiving and totally enjoying herself.  I pulled out my phone to snap some photos and take some videos which usually causes her to stop what she is doing and grab the phone, but not this time.  She was too caught up in the moment; too full of joy.  She was dancing like no one was watching!  After a few songs, she finally collapsed on the bed with a giant grin occasionally interrupted by laughing and giggles.

My granddaughter’s exuberance reminded me of the excitement and joy that David displayed as the Ark of the Lord was brought back to Jerusalem.  In 2 Samuel 6:14 the bible tells us that  as the Ark was returned to where it belonged, “David was dancing before the LORD with all his might”.   David was so excited about what God was doing that he let loose his inhibitions and fully expressed his joy.  David danced before the Lord, like no one else was watching.  You can be sure that David was criticized for his display of joy and praise.  But David was not concerned with what others thought or what they might say.  David wanted the Lord to know how he felt.  While others may not have appreciated David’s display of emotion, I know the Lord was pleased.

It can be like that for us in life sometime.  Any time we praise the Lord or show signs of our devotion and love for Him, we may be criticized.  We should never let the possibility of criticism inhibit us.  The bible says the Lord inhabits the praises of His people.  If He seems distant, begin to praise Him and see how He draws near!  Dance and rejoice like no one is watching!

I hope that you have such a relationship with the Lord that you are able to take great joy out of your life and all the things the Lord is doing.  I hope that even though you might face some struggles and some obstacles that you know that there is a God and that He loves you.  For He does love you and He desires to have a personal relationship with you through His Son Jesus Christ.  I hope that you know that He is able to bless us with eternal life and He is able to fill our lives with so much joy that we can dance like no one is watching.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com