Worship… with Abandon | First Christian Church of Fort Stockton

2 Samuel 6:14

“David was dancing before the Lord with all his might,” (NIV)

Control. We all want it. Most of us do not appreciate a life without boundaries so we look to control the world around us. We want to control our finances. We want to control our environment. We want to control the people around us. We want to control ourselves. Like a kite in the wind, we don’t want that string to break and give our life over to the currents of the air. We find security in containment and restraint. We never want to look or sound like we are out of control; that we are too free spirited. To do so would make us look weak, unconstrained, perhaps even a little off-balance; ready to be judged.

That becomes a problem when we put this information in the context of worship. There is a certain security in ritual and formatted worship. We don’t mind kneeling in worship; as long as everyone else kneel. One of the hardest things to do in worship is when we feel the need to walk down that aisle to the altar There are many reasons to walk down that aisle; joining the church, coming to the altar to pray, recommitting your life to Christ or dozens of other reasons. Taking that opportunity of stepping out of your controlled environment and placing yourself in a position of being judged by those around you, even if you trust them implicitly, can seem intimidating and scary.

What about raising your hands when you are singing or shouting an occasional hallelujah or amen? Does that move you out of your comfort zone? “And David danced before the Lord with all his might;” (NIV) David was not dancing for his people. He may not even have been aware of them. Even though surrounded by thousands, this moment of David dancing before the Lord was a moment of worship between David and his God; David acknowledging his relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

Worship is not about how your neighbor feels or being constrained by rules. It is about communion with God. And in that moment, there is only you and God Almighty. If you are so led, dance with abandon, sing Hallelujah or shout Amen or walk down the aisle and bask in the comfort of God’s smile.