5David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.
Sometimes I wish we could worship with this kind of abandon. It looks as though nothing was held back. They gave it everything they had. I think our worship is so often half-hearted. We lack the enthusiasm, the energy that David had. I think that is because so many of us do not fully recognize the grace of God. We still think we somehow deserve what the LORD has provided, so there is a lack of total abandon. When I have been through a life and death situation with my children, and the Lord brought us through, there was total abandon when we were reunited. There was a thankfulness that energized the hugs and tears. I think sometimes our worship lacks that authenticity because we have not viewed our situation as life and death. We don’t see the stakes as heaven and hell. We have bought the lie of multiple realities. I have been part of congregations in the past where this type of abandon was lived out, decently and in order. It was a joy to be able to express that thankfulness without worrying about anything. David and the Israelites let it all hang out. Maybe it is time we let it all hang out in worship.
The Arnold Journey 