Zoologists describe what they call “turtle dancing”—the charming behavior of loggerhead turtles when they are in the presence of food. The turtles tilt their bodies vertically, open their mouths, clap their front flippers, and spin around in the water. But research has shown that radio-wave interference can disrupt the turtle’s internal “GPS.” It confuses their navigation, distracts them from their food source, and, sadly, stops their dancing.
The Bible tells of a time when David danced. The ark of the covenant conveyed the very presence of God. At a certain time, the ark was brought to Jerusalem and “David was dancing before the Lord with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). But years later, the king became distracted. He sinned with Bathsheba, sending her husband to death in war (11:4, 14-15). Now the child he’d borne with her was dying. In remorse and anguish, David “fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground” (12:16).
Like David, we thrive in the presence of God, but our sin distracts us from Him, and we stop “dancing.” How can we find our joy again? By turning from the sin that confuses our connection to God. When we repent, we find hope in Him. David himself writes of God’s mercy: “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy” (Psalm 30:11). God, after all, is the true Lord of the dance.
When have you “danced” for God? What has led you away from that?
Dear God, I’ve gone so long in this dark time. There is no joy. Please help me to dance again.
The Bible records several occasions when David lost the joy described in 2 Samuel 6:12-15 and instead found himself estranged from God because of his sin (see Psalm 32; 38:1-4; 40:12). After he committed the double sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah, he was unrepentant for close to a year until the prophet Nathan confronted him (2 Samuel 11-12). Psalm 51 describes how David confessed his sin (vv. 1-7) and longed for renewed intimacy with God. He prayed, “Oh, give me back my joy again; . . . Create in me a clean heart . . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you” (vv. 8-12 nlt). Like David, when we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can ask Him to “unseal [our] lips” (v. 15 nlt) so we may praise Him again and “joyfully sing of [His] forgiveness” (v. 14 nlt).
