Opening gates...

Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart...(she) came out to meet him and said "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"...David said "I will celebrate before the Lord, I will become even more undignified than this and I will be humiliated in my own eyes, But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor".
And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
-2 Samuel 6:12-23

Last night during Saturday night service, I felt led to have no plan for the service but worship and whatever might arise from that. It was a dare to let loose and just see if what has been happening in the youth church might spill over into the Saturday congregation.

It did, but not without a lot of resistance in the spirituals.

Afterwards I felt so drained from the push and weighed down by the religious yoke and this morning I had a heavy heart. During the meeting, a word came out of spontaneous prayer about "opening the gates" and that word was confirmed this morning. As I came to the Lord this morning with this heavy heart, I opened the scriptures to Psalms 107 and this portion of the psalm spoke to me:

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, miserable prisoners in chains.
They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High.
That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one helped them rise again.
"LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.
Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them.
For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron.

I truly believe that the Lord desires to visit us with seasons of refreshing from His Presence. I know that there are those who see that with the eyes of their heart not just the knowledge of their minds. They yearn for Him and long to see His glory unleashed on the hearts of a thirsty generation. They also know that it will require sacrifice, the sacrifice of pride. A throng of dancers will prepare the way with an offering of undignified praise, a passionate display of devotion. They are a company of prophets that understand that the Lord establishes kingdoms on the footstool of worship born out of humility and unrelenting desire.

Are we willing to throw aside the critical and constipated religious attitudes of the Michal spirit? Are we done with the tired and tepid offerings of a domesticated and civilized crowd? Can we throw off the unbiblical religious garments that have strangled pure and wild joy? Are we willing to follow leaders like King David that are unafraid to publicly lead the way in undignified devotion to the Lord? Can we match his passion, his abandonment and public praise? Notice these verses and ask yourself if such outbursts of joy are able to find expression within your public worship life?


Now David was whirling with all (his) might in the presence of YHWH.
Now David danced without restraint before the Lord (NEV).
David was dancing before the Lord with all his might. (TNIV)
Then David danced and spun around with abandon before ADONAI (Complete Jewish bible).

I know there will always be Michals that cast a judgmental curse over innocent joy and sadly they will imprison themselves in a life of fruitless intimacy too. It is a shame to see such disdain in the face of such unfettered joy.

I choose to dance like David danced.

Picture by James Tissot, 1896-1900.