2009 – Day 133.May 14 – True Freedom

2009 – Day 133.May 14 – True Freedom

Passage of the Day: 2nd Samuel 6: 14 – 23 … Link to 2nd Sam. 6 for study ...

My Journal for the Day: This passage illustrates the power of obedience to produce freedom in one’s life. And Chuck Swindoll brings out two specific points in that regard which relate closely to the way we view life, either vertically in our relationship with God or horizontally, following the world’s view. I’ve discussed this in past devotionals; and I believe that Swindoll’s study today illustrates the strong vertical focus David had on God. I’ve certainly seen this illustrated in my past studies by see David’s vertical focus on God in his slaying of Goliath and his honoring Saul as God’s anointed king in spite of Saul’s hatred and jealousy for David. And now we see it in the way he honors God as he prepares the Arc of the Covenant and worships God with open abandon.

And Swindoll points out that … the better you know where you stand with the Lord, the freer you can be. In today’s passage we see David boldly and gleefully dancing, almost naked before God, much to the chagrin of his wife, worshipping his love for his God openly and honestly. And in Michal, Saul’s daughter and David’s wife, we see what can happen when the world and the flesh come into contact with someone, like David, who boldly and openly proclaims his love for God. And it’s true that when you get bold and vulnerable in your witness for God, the world will likely recoil with embarrassment in the least or anger/hostility at worst. You’ll note Michal’s response in verse 16 of today’s highlight passage. She saw David dancing freely and joyfully, worshipping the Lord, and the verse says, "she despised him in her heart.”

And the second point Swindoll brings out, which is illustrated in today’s stud, is that the freer you are before the Lord, the more confident you will become. And this was certainly true of David as he danced with joy, throwing aside the conventions of “kingly” dress, and freeing himself to worship His Lord. David, in this scenario is the picture of vulnerability and unconventional witness. He didn’t care what others thought, … only that God knew how joy-filled he was in the presence of his God.

What about you? I know that at times I’ve found myself balking a bit and muting my enthusiasm in worship on Sunday mornings, letting my horizontal feelings dictate just how open I would be to raise my hands while worshipping God in our service. We’re a church that has come from a “tradition” of a more subdued, muted style of worship; and having broken away from the boundaries and traditions of our “denominational” style, we now find our newer worship style evolving and growing to be freer and more expressive, which makes some, especially the older members of our congregation, uncomfortable. And I, personally, love the newer, freer style of worship! But I’m convicted by today’s study that I’m not open and free enough in the way I personally express my worship of the God of the Universe and the One Who saved me.

Why should I care what others think when I raise my hands with joy on Sunday morning, singing my praises to my Lord? I need to have more of David in my worship and less of Michal.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, as I grow to know You more, help me to be free to worship You, letting Your Spirit witness my love for You openly and freely. Amen