Sinners In The Hands Of A Singing And Dancing God

How do you imagine God to be when you pray? Is He far from you or near? Is He assertive or passive? Is He disgusted with you or in love with you? Is He a mean old man, or a kindly grandpa-type, or neither? Is He listening? Does He care for you? Can He help you?

What you believe about Father God is the most important thing contained in your mind. It affects everything about you. Specifically, what you believe about God affects the way you pray.

Unfortunately, there are many wrong perceptions of God that are commonly believed. These misconceptions distort our prayers and, in some cases, prevent people from praying altogether. For too many people, God seems remote, impersonal, and unknowable. Because of that, even Christians suffer from an inability to feel forgiven, nagging doubt, mistrust of God, and even bouts with hyper-perfectionism.

Our prayers are shaped by the way we picture God. A dysfunctional picture of God results in a dysfunctional way of praying and preaching. Jesus revealed this truth;

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:11-13 ESV)

Those that had a father who was never around when they needed him or has experienced trauma, abuse, or extreme discipline will have a challenging time preaching about personally pursuing an intimate, loving, and trusting relationship with God as Father. They will see Him as a vengeful judge - spewing out wrath and retribution when sinners do by nature what they do best - sin! That's why we need a Savior! Jesus forgave all sinners – in the past, present, and future - on the Cross. It is up to humanity to accept the free gift of forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus by asking Him to become Lord of their life and repenting of their sin and rejection of Him so that they can be reconciled back to God and experience an intimate relationship with their Creator.

EVER PRESENT

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Ps 46:1 NIV)

God is right here, right now. Amid our trials and tribulations, He is there for us. We are never separated from His love and strength. The great Almighty God, the infinite Creator of the universe, takes great delight and unsurpassed joy from our relationship with Him.

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." (Zeph 3:17 ESV)

This verse is one of the most poignant passages in the Bible because it depicts the heavenly Father singing over His children and finding joy in their presence, just as any good and loving parent would do.

VERSE BY VERSE

Let’s unpack the verse word by word.

"The Lord" (Heb: Yehovah = the self-existent eternal one)

"Your God" (Heb: Elohiym = the plural supreme God)

"Is in your midst" (Heb: Qereb = the nearest part at the center of it all)

"a mighty one" (Heb: Gibbor = a valiant and mighty warrior)

"who will save" (Heb: Yasha = to set free in safety)

"he will rejoice" (Heb: Sus/Siys = to be jubilant, leap for joy, to find a cause to be exceedingly happy over)

"over you" (Heb: Al = above, over, upon)

"with gladness" (Heb: Simhah = to be filled with joy and happiness; to be exceedingly pleased)

"he will quiet you" (Heb: Charash = to renew; engrave His rest upon you to be silent about your failures/sins)

"by His love" (Heb: Ahabah = a powerful and intimate covenant of faithful and affectionate love)

"he will exult over you" (Heb: Giyl/Al = to emotionally spin around over you rejoicing (i.e., dance!)

"with loud singing" (Heb: Rinnah = joyful crying out by shouting and singing of many songs)

In Scripture, the love of God is often expressed using the Hebrew word 'hesed,' which means a committed love that never fails and lives in the will as much as in the heart. As noted, the word used for “love” in Zephaniah is 'ahaba.' It is also used in the Bible regarding the passionate love of Jacob for Rachel (Gen 29:20), Michal for David (1 Sam 18:28), the warmhearted love of Jacob for Joseph (Gen 37:3), Uzziah's devotion to gardening (2 Chron 26:10), Jonathan's deep friendship with David (1 Sam 18:3), and the devotee's delight in the Lord's law (Ps 119:97). This is also the definition of God's love for His people, a love that delights Him and makes Him contemplate YOU with wordless adoration, a love that cannot be contained but bursts into ecstatic singing (Hos 3:1; Zeph 3:17).