By: Loryn Dilley
“I will dance I will sing to be mad for my King
Nothing Lord is hindering the passion in my soul.
I’ll become even more undignified than this.
Well, some would say it’s foolishness, but
I’ll become even more undignified than this.”
(Matt Redman)
Whenever I read the scripture in 2 Samuel 6 about David dancing before the Lord, I am automatically taken back to this song by Matt Redman, that we used to sing at Youth. In those moments, singing those words, we would dance, sing, and jump around, without any inhibitions.
We see David celebrating before the Lord, uninhibited by fear of what others may think or say about him, even the people closest to him.
2 Sam 6:20 “ When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”
David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” (NLT)
Foolish, silly, embarrassing, undignified- these are not really the things that we strive for or the way that we would want to be seen or behave. But when it comes to our worship, we need to strive for the heart attitude that David had.
So, the question is- How do we become “more undignified” and “humiliated in our own eyes” in worship?
Matt Redman summed up what worship means to him in this quote- “Our heavenly Father loves us with an extravagant abandon. Passionate, undignified worship is our only reasonable response.”
The first thing that we need to settle in our hearts is that worship is participatory, we do not get to be spectators. It is not about the musicians upfront, we -the church- are the worship team and together we get to worship our King.
Next, we need to have a firm understanding that worship is not a performance.
Whether you are part of the band up front or are one of the tone-deaf people in the congregation, we are all the worship team. If we are all in it together, as one team, worshiping Jesus, then our focus will never be on another person, and we can worship with total abandon.
For me, leading worship can be quite a perilous journey. Fear of making a mistake or singing off key, or that dreaded voice crack when the note is just a little bit out of my comfort zone, are thoughts that would often run through my mind. If I am completely honest, they sometimes still do, and I am left feeling self-conscious and insecure. In those moments I need to fix my eyes on Jesus and take these thoughts captive.
These thoughts distract us from the heart of worship and leave room for us to ‘worry’ about the people around us. Our worship then becomes limited and tamed so that we fit into a box that is more socially acceptable.
Does this mean that we need to dance and behave in a foolish manner to worship? Not necessarily, if you want to dance before the Lord – then dance freely. As they say, “dance like nobody’s watching.” But the real issue is about your heart and the place from which you are worshiping.
Are you concerned about the person next to you, or judging the slightly odd lady dancing with ribbons? It is in these times we become spectators in worship and allow that precious time to pass while we watch our neighbours. It is not about how coordinated and together we look when we are praising the Lord, it is about our hearts.
Psalm 108:1(NLT)” My heart is confident in you, O God! No wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!”
The challenge is to make sure your heart is firmly fixed on our amazing Father who deserves our uninhibited praise- whatever that looks like to you. It might be as simple as raising your hands or singing just a little louder.
John 4:23 (NIV), “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
This verse has been beautifully summed up in this quote. ” Its time, as worshipers of God, to give Him all we have. For when He is exalted, everything about me is less important. So many times, we stand in the way of really stepping into the secret place of worship with God. Just abandon tradition and the “expected” ways of Praise & Worship and lose yourself in the holy of holies with the sole intention of blessing the Fathers heart.”- Jessica Leah Springer
David said he would become even more undignified than this, this is what the Lord is looking for. Worshippers who will worship in Spirit and Truth, as they are.
The challenge for us is to be willing to lay down our pride and be a little undignified as we worship God with everything we have. There is nothing to lose worshipping our Father with great abandon.