Mine is a pretty conservative ecclesiastical background. When it pleased God to give me eyes to see and a heart to respond, He planted me within a “Be still and know that I am God” type of fellowship. Ours was more of a meditative worship. While accustomed to lifting our heads toward heaven, hands would pretty much stay by our side. Emotive worship for us was expressed by closing our eyes and seeking to gaze into the face of heaven through the eyes of faith. I’m not saying any of this was bad . . . not at all! As I recall it, though we may not have been a very demonstrative gathering of saints, we loved to sing to the Savior . . . and there were many times of sweet, sweet worship. Though you might have caught us, once or twice, with hands a clappin’ as we sang . . . and maybe, for the more bold, toes a tappin’ . . . you were never going to see our feet a dancin’ . . . even though some of us were dancing on the inside.

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
    You have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
 that my glory may sing Your praise and not be silent.
                                                                    (Psalm 30:11-12 ESV)

Psalm 30, my Bible says, was a song David wrote to be sung at the dedication of the temple . . . a temple he would not build . . . a temple he would not see . . . but a temple, nevertheless, that he knew would be the place where the glory of God would dwell. As such, the temple would be a place of worship . . . a place where the people would come to exalt their God . . . a place where God’s special treasure would recount the wondrous acts of God on their behalf . . . a place where His faithfulness would be recalled . . . a place where His praise would be sung . . . and, if I’m reading this correctly, a place of dancing . . . if only on the inside.

And I guess what’s grabbing me this morning is that the praise David writes of is born out of deliverance. It’s dancing that emerges from sorrow . . . it’s joy in the morning that comes only after weeping for the night (30:5). It’s not the absence of problems which results in praise, but the power of God to sustain . . . it is not only prosperity which compels thanksgiving, but also rescue and restoration. The nearness of God that can be known in the thick of trial becomes the well from which praise flows . . . a praise which sets the feet to dancing . . . if only on the inside.

And while some might live a life absent of any trials at all, I’m guessing that for most of us, there is always some battle being fought on some front. Might not be the “big stuff” but low-lying skirmishes that wear us down. Or, it could be those major assaults . . . those trials where we don’t know if we can even catch our breath. But God is faithful . . . His favor is for a lifetime (30:5) . . . He is our helper (30:10) . . . His grace is sufficient . . . His power is enough . . . and He will loose our sackcloth . . . and clothe us with gladness . . . and set our feet to dancing . . . if only on the inside . . . for His glory.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord . . .