Undignified Worship

 Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.  David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might..

2 Samuel 6:12, 14, 20-22

 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord.

I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes...

Now back in the days we used to sing a song based on this passage; I will become even more undignified than this…

And we could get pretty undignified worshipping and praising our Lord. We would jump, shout, dance and twist in all manner of ways, acknowledging the greatness and goodness of our God.

During the more solemn songs, we would raise our hands or bow our heads in reverence. Others would cry out acknowledging their guilt or unworthiness before a holy God. Some would kneel. And if the session got very intense, a good number could be found prostrate, their teary faces scraping the dusty floor.

We cared little for our dignity and the dirty attire and damp handkerchiefs could be dealt with later!

Nowadays I can't help but notice how the majority in church are so stiff even when there is great cause to lift up hands or shout or kneel or dance or prostrate before the Lord.

 Initially I put to our never-ending fascination with 'mzungu' culture who, as some are prone to joke, are ever dancing to the next song. However, I soon concluded that the stiffness of the 'mzungu' has little to do with it and especially so after I observed that a good many have no similar inhibitions when they are watching champions league!

Long before we adapted these bad habits, Don Moen sang;

I love to be in your presence,

With your people singing praises;

I love to stand and rejoice,

Lift my hands and raise my voice. (2x)

You set my feet to dancing,

You fill my heart with song;

You give me reason to rejoice, rejoice.

(Chorus)

Lift my hands, lift my hands,

Lift my hands and raise my voice.

I say, let us make our praise and worship sessions a little more messy. David showed the way. 

Let's worship God with our spirits and with our bodies.

Hebrews 13:15 urges us to continually offer Christ a sacrifice of praise with our lips.

Jesus said; “…God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

Romans 12:1 exhorts us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. 

To offer God your living body is described in the passage as a spiritual act of worship.

Could this be the missing link in our worship?

Is it possible that God finds our worship too bland when we hold back the ancient bodily gestures that outwardly signify our inward feelings towards Him?

Is this why we rarely ever experience His presence manifested in power to heal, deliver, convict of sin and other similar miracles?

It seems to me that if we are not offering our bodies to God during those moments of worship, we are failing to meet the basic standard of true worship.

I say; clapping, shouting, kneeling, crying, bowing, dancing, prostrating will never go out of fashion in God's economy. A true worshiper extends to God his whole being-his spirit, soul and body. God responds to this kind of devotion with His awesome presence. His presence brings with it all manner of blessings.

King David’s blessed life is testimony to this.

By the way, that song used to go;

I will dance I will sing 

To be mad for my King 

Nothing Lord is hindering this passion in my soul 

I will dance I will sing 

To be mad for my king 

Nothing Lord is hindering this passing in my soul

And I'll become even more undignified than this 

Some my say it's foolishness 

But I'll become even more undignified than this 

Leave my pride by my side 

And I'll become even more undignified than this 

Some my say it's foolishness 

But I'll become even more undignified than this

David Crowder Band