I love to dance. It lifts my spirits. If there’s music playing somewhere, I’m likely dancing and singing along.

Sunset Party Dancing Girl...from Pink Sherbet Photography

This past weekend I got a picture of God dancing over me that filled me with joy. I attended the retreat for my Water of Life class, a class to help people break free from their pasts, from guilt and shame, from addictions and strongholds. The one thought that struck me deep inside and resonated throughout the entire weekend: God dances over me. It’s derived from Zephaniah 3:17-18:

For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
“I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals;
you will be disgraced no more.

The idea that the Lord watches over me and is delighted with me was overwhelming. I’ve heard it before but because of the way the class worked through my past I could feel God’s love rather than my disgrace.

The verse trigger my memory of a song, “Lord, I’m Amazed by You”. It starts with the lyrics:

You dance over me, while I am unaware.
You sing all around me, but I never hear a sound.
Lord, I’m amazed by you. Lord, I’m amazed by you.
Lord, I’m amazed by you, how you love me.

Amazed is just how I felt. Not to mention free.

It caused me to do a word study on “dance” in the Bible, which led me to the following verses that illustrating the change one experiences when he/she can let go of their past and fully accept God and Christ:

Psalm 30:11-12: You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

Jeremiah 31:13: The young women will dance for joy,
and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration.
I will turn their mourning into joy.
I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.

Isaiah 61:3: To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

Isaiah 62:3-5: The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
a splendid crown in the hand of God…
for the Lord delights in you
and will claim you as his bride…
Then God will rejoice over you
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

What a picture of God’s love and mercy and joy. If you’ve struggled to know the love of God, I hope you are encouraged by the song, by the scriptures.

I’ll be sharing more from my weekend retreat in the next few days. I hope my experience is relevant to you in some way.