Saturday, March 7, 2009

"Would You Like to Dance?": Another Question that Changed My Life

By David Ryser

This life is a dance, not a battle. (Kate Constable)


I was minding my own business, teaching at a school of ministry.  The students were hungry for God, loved Jesus with pure hearts, and were eager for the Word and the Presence of God.  In order to be able to “feed” them properly with the instruction and demonstration of the Kingdom of God, I would arrive early (1½ to 2 hours early), put on worship music, and bask in the presence of God.  By the time class began, both I and the atmosphere in the classroom were prepared for the students and for anything God wanted to teach and/or do that day.  As the class session progressed, the spiritual hunger of the students would place a demand upon the anointing and presence of God until, at the end of each class, I felt like a milk cow who had just fed 23 calves.  I was drained!  If I didn’t fill back up spiritually, the next day’s “nursing” was going to be painful (please don’t make me explain this metaphor).  I needed to come up with a plan of action to refill and recharge between class days, and the little time I spent with God in the mornings was not going to be enough.

Then I hit upon a plan--a plan born more out of desperation and self-preservation than any inherent spirituality on my part.

Because I was serving the school of ministry on a volunteer basis (this was, after all, a church-sponsored school), it was necessary for me to work a full time job after classes ended at noon.  I took a job as a courier, which consisted mainly of driving around in my little pickup truck and making occasional stops to load and unload stuff.  Since there were places on my circuit that involved an hour or more of uninterrupted driving time, I had the opportunity to hang out with God and refresh my spirit by worshiping and conversing with Him.  As with my morning “God time,” I would use worship music recorded on CD’s to facilitate getting into in His presence and “filling up” spiritually.  Over the next few months, I discovered God was not particularly concerned about the style of music I worshiped to, so long as it glorified Him and was sung from a pure heart (mine as well as the artists’--I don’t use much music from the big name Christian entertainers).  I very much enjoyed spending time with God every day in this manner, and before long into these times of worship I would begin to be rejuvenated spiritually.  By the end of my work day, I was prepared for a good night’s sleep and the start of another day beginning with morning worship time at the school.

Several months passed.

As much as I loved the students and enjoyed being with them each day, I looked forward even more to my daily afternoon and evening time with God.  This was heaven for me.  I had never before worked at a job where I was paid to worship God and soak in His presence (I was in the vocational ministry for 14 years, and no church ever paid me to worship God).  One day, when the worship was just beginning to get good--after about two or three hours (real intimacy takes time)--the CD I was listening to came to an end.  Normally I would simply choose another CD and continue hanging out (referred to as “praying without ceasing” in the Bible) with God.  Usually He would let me choose the music I thought might best bring me into His presence. That day, for no particular reason, I asked God, “What would You like to hear next?”  I felt directed to put on a particular CD, and the worship time continued.  Toward the end of the CD, the song In Your Presence began to play.  Within a few moments, the presence of God intensified in the cab of that truck; and as the song continued to play, I became increasingly lovesick for God.

By the time that song was over, every fiber of my being ached for Him.

What a sight I must have been--a middle aged man, tongue-hanging-out in love with Jesus, singing to Him with tears in my eyes, and going 70 miles per hour down the freeway.  As wonderful as this short time with God had been, I was somewhat relieved as the song began to end because of the intensity and intimacy of the experience of His presence.  But this wasn’t the end.  Not today.  The next song on the CD was Dance With Me, based upon a passage from the Song of Solomon.  As the song began to play, I knew I was in trouble.  God’s presence became stronger, and I heard these words deep down in my spirit, “Would you like to dance?”  Though the words had not been in an audible voice, they were so strong inside of me that I answered out loud.

What else could I say?  I said, “I’d love to.”

The best things and the worst things that have ever happened to me in life have happened just after I spoke without thinking.  So why do I continue to do it?  Because the best things are so much better than the bad things are bad, and I’m willing to take the chance.  I will not describe what happened next in the cab of that little truck other than to say that my loving Heavenly Father is a really good dancer.  And when that song ended, I was not the same person as I was when it began.

I had gone beyond His presence and into His heart.  How could I be the same afterward?

Everything changed.  When I read the Bible, I saw the scriptures from a different point of view than I ever had before.  Every verse dripped with the love of God.  I began to understand in a way I never had before that our faith is based in a relationship with God, through Jesus, and not in agreement with a creed or doctrinal statement.  I came to believe and know that truth is a Person--Jesus Christ--and not a theology or a book (any book).  I began to examine my motives for why I did the things I did, and I’m talking about the good things.  For example, why did I raise my hands in worship?  Because the Bible said to do it?  The Bible does tell us to raise our hands in worship, but that’s not why I do it.  When a two year old child toddles over to you and puts his hands in the air, why does he do it?  Because he wants to be picked up and held.  That is why I now raise my hands in worship.  As a consequence, I get picked up and held a lot by my Daddy. 

And I pretty much have Him to myself because, sadly, so few of His beloved children want just to sit in His lap and love Him.

As time has passed, I’ve discovered that I have a deeper love for the children of God--even (maybe especially) the “bad” ones.  I can sense (and sometimes see) their pain and despair, and I just want to take them into the presence of their loving Father God who can minister His love, healing, and salvation to them (the word salvation, as used in the Bible, rarely--if ever--refers to going to heaven).  Conversely, I have very little tolerance for the religious system that abuses, robs, oppresses, enslaves, and torments them.  My anger with, and my utter disdain for, this system is such that I must exercise a great deal of self-control when I encounter it or talk and write about it.

I guess I need for God to do some more work on me.

I now have an unrelenting passion for God and His Kingdom.  I am learning to love people in the same way as I love Him, as hard as that can be sometimes (and I am very much a work in progress in this regard).  I have learned to seek the face of God rather than settle for His hands.  Not that I don’t need Him to move powerfully in my life or in the lives of others; but I’ve discovered that if I can find His face, His hands are somewhere in the neighborhood, and I simply can’t settle for just His hands when I can have both.  I have gladly (most of the time) suffered the loss of ministry, position, and reputation to gain Him (Philippians 3:7).  I am not complaining; I willingly chose this path when it was presented to me.

As painful as this has been on occasion, I would not trade Him for anything or anyone.

I’m no one special.  God does not love me any more or less than He loves anyone else.  He does not enjoy my company any more or less than He would enjoy yours.  He freely receives and accepts all who come to Him.  And His dance card is not yet filled.

  Would you like to dance?

 Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

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