Reasons to Move

We’ve looked at a few examples in the Bible where we see people moving and dancing. But what does this mean for us? Were these people just exceptions, or should we move and dance as well?

Personally, I’m a big evangelist for the importance of dance and movement for everyone! Not only has dance brought an incredible depth to my relationship with God, but I have also seen first hand how it can powerfully shift things in the spirit realm. Perhaps not everyone is called to be a “dancer”, but I do believe that everyone can gain something from engaging in movement, whether that be fresh encounter, fresh revelation or new levels of freedom and breakthrough.

So, why should we move?

1. The Bible Tells us To

We are commanded and commissioned to praise God throughout the Bible. Take a look at Psalm 150, for example, where the entire Psalm is a call to praise! 

‘Praise the Lord

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with timbrel and dancing,

praise him with the strings and pipe,

praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.’

This Psalm outrightly tells us to praise God with dancing, and with the additional knowledge from the previous chapters about what it means to praise, we can see that it is good, right and appropriate to use movement to praise Him!

Here is another command to move in the Psalms:

‘Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.’ (Psalm 149:3)

In Jeremiah 31 where God declares a new covenant with Israel (fulfilled in Jesus), there is mention of dance overflowing from the joy of the people.

‘I will build you up again,

and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.

Again you will take up your timbrels

and go out to dance with the joyful.’

(Jeremiah 31:4)

—————

‘They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;

they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—

the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,

the young of the flocks and herds.

They will be like a well-watered garden,

and they will sorrow no more.

Then young women will dance and be glad,

young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourning into gladness;

I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.’

(Jeremiah 31:12-13)

God is saying that as people enter into the new covenant, there will be so much joy that people will be dancing — women, men, young and old!

So, dancing as praise or as an overflow of joy backed up biblically. That’s a good enough reason to move in itself!

2. Movement is a Sacrifice of Praise

Throughout the Bible, we see that there is a theme of sacrifice. From Moses to Jesus, the people of God sacrificed animals and grain to God according to the Law given by God. However, in Jesus, the Law was completely fulfilled meaning we are not required to make these sacrifices any more. Phew! 

However, the theme of sacrifice still remains in the New Testament. So what do we sacrifice now?

Let’s look at what the New Testament says about sacrifice:

‘As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’ (1 Peter 2:4-5)

This verse is showing us that instead of animal and grain sacrifices, we offer to God spiritual sacrifices. But what exactly are spiritual sacrifices?

‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.’ (Romans 12:1)

This verse shows us that ultimately, the sacrifice that we now offer is ourselves. We sacrifice our flesh to God so that we can be completely consumed by His Spirit.

‘Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.’ (Hebrews 13:15)

This verse talks about a sacrifice of praise. Praise to God can often be a sacrifice because we might not always feel like it. When we choose to praise anyway, it is a sacrifice of our own fleshly wants and desires in order to offer up a gift to God and to come into alignment with His heartbeat.

One of the reasons why dance and movement in worship is so powerful is because it is often very costly. It is a sacrifice. 

First of all, it takes effort to move. You might get out of breath. Your body may be aching the next day. It’s a physical sacrifice.

It could also be a reputational sacrifice. We see from the life of David that physical extravagance towards God can put you in a place where it is easy for others to judge you. Because you are not simply blending in with the crowd, people may criticise you or feel provoked and challenged. (Although for prophetic dancers, that’s often a good thing! Get used to being a provocative presence. More on that later.)

One of my favourite verses in the Bible is something that David says (unsurprisingly!). Although he is talking about burnt offerings here, the meaning behind what he is saying is timeless.

‘I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’ (2 Samuel 24:24)

If we come to worship and praise God by simply singing a couple of nostalgic songs just for the sake of it and because we like the tune, what is that costing us? A few feeble breaths? If our praise doesn't cost us anything, does God actually mean anything to us?

3. It is Generous Towards God

Following on from this sacrifice of praise, another reason why I believe we should move and dance is because it is generous towards God.

If you are getting a gift for someone that you really love and appreciate, it’s natural to put effort into that gift. You might get something that is really good quality and spend more money on it because you want to express your love for them. You might put time into making something for them. You give them a gift that costs you something: money, time, thought and effort.

When it comes to God, we can also give Him gifts that cost us something, because that means more than something that doesn’t cost anything at all. It’s a natural response to someone we love.

When you get a thoughtful gift for someone, that person will probably be moved by your generosity.

That’s one of the most wonderful things about our relationship with God. We can move God. We can make choices that please Him. We can cause Him to smile.

That’s right! YOU can cause the God of the Universe to smile! Isn’t that a wonderful thing that you have the ability to please God?

When you dance and move, it is a physical act of sacrificing absolutely everything you are to God, including your physical body. You are expressing your thankfulness with absolutely everything within you. I think that’s a very generous thing to do towards God.

4. It is Strategic

The final reason why I believe we should move and dance is because it is strategic. Remember that movement is a language? It means something in the spiritual realm, which means it has power to shift things in the spirit realm.

We’re going to revisit this point later in the course!