Braves and Ballet

That Irish dance thing "Riverdance" of a few years ago was amazing. You may have caught it on TV or been one of the fortunate ones to see it live. I said to myself, "How are they doing that?" Talent, hard work, passion and a willingness to sacrifice.

This weekend we will have dance in worship. The first piece will be as a prelude (so come early) it is a beautiful, colorful display of love for the Father. The second we will use as an offering to Him as we all join together to give back to Him a portion of what He has given to us.

In Psalm 30 (a favorite of John Owen I might add) the psalmist says, "To you O Lord I cried, to the Lord I cried for mercy. What gain is there in my destruction? .....Will the dust praise you?....Hear O lord and be merciful to me. O Lord be my help" This guy has troubles and he knows it. So he pleads for mercy. And here is what happens, "You turned my wailing into dancing."

I am thinking he means that. Here is why: I took my discipleship team to the Braves game last night. We got the cheapest seats so we were near God. Now the Braves have not been good this year, but last night they hit home run after home run and the fans were (as evidenced by the jumbotron TV screens) literally dancing. For one night anyway, we were better then the Mets and our wailing was turned into dancing. A physical expression of joy.

How much more the Lord does that for us. The psalmist does give some clues as to how the Lord turned his sorrow to joy. I will encourage you to read that for yourself. So as you come to worship well this weekend, come asking God to be merciful and then watch as He gives you a word picture of how He will turn your wailing into dancing. Perhaps even receiving it in your heart as His promise to you. Blessings (and come early!!)