Learning the 'Promise' Dance
Receiving a promise from God is meaningless if you don't know how to dance with God to see that promise come to life. Are you getting the steps right?
Stepping into the promises of God is a dance. As a follower of Jesus, to step into the promise God has for you, you must learn to master two dance steps: moving in faith and waiting on God. The longer we follow Jesus, the more we realize if our steps are off, the dance will be a mess.
I’m no expert in dance; we are a sports family. What I know about dance, I’ve learned from my younger daughter. She may be the best athlete in the family, but turned those abilities toward dance instead of sport. It took me a few years, but I learned to appreciate her athletic strength and grace in dance.
But just as important as athleticism is timing. The value of timing is most evident in the early years. I’m sure you’ve been to a dance recital or seen videos of young dancers comically trying to keep up with one another. Strength and grace are less noticeable because either the dancer is in sync with the music and other dancers or she is not.
If the timing is off, the steps are off. If the steps are off, the dance is a mess.
This is the dichotomy men and women have struggled with since the beginning of time. We are called to proactively move toward God’s promises in faith while simultaneously waiting on God for his power, strength, and wisdom.
The History of Dance
Nearly 20 years ago, Judson Laipley performed a comedy routine tracing the evolution of dance from the 1950s to the early 2000s. He became one of the first people to go viral on YouTube. Today, his video has over 300 million views. The Bible has its version of the history of dance of learning to step into the promises of God - from the beginning of time through the stories of the New Testament.
Here is just a glimpse from the stories of Genesis:
Adam and Eve failed to wait on God. They moved forward, eating the fruit without permission. God removed them from the garden. Their eyes were opened. Sin entered the world.
Noah moved in faith by building a boat the size of a football field. Noah waited for God to send animals to fill the ark and to enter the ark himself. He was rewarded and saved humanity.
Abraham followed God’s call to move to an unknown destination. Abraham waited on God to give him a son…an heir to the great wealth, blessing, and call on his life. God blessed Abraham to be a blessing to his family and all he came into contact with.
Joseph heard God speak to him in dreams, but he tried to lord those promises over his brothers before God ordained them. Sold into slavery, for years Joseph was forced to live a life not on his terms. God redeemed Joseph’s story, but not without pain and suffering.
Move. Wait. Move. Wait.
Each of these people got the steps right and wrong. Adam and Eve were faithful to care for the garden, name the animals, and walk with God for most of their lives. Noah got drunk giving room for his son to defile him. Abraham jumped the gun and took his wife’s servant to have a son. Joseph faithfully served his master and resisted his wife’s sexual advances.
Move. Wait.
As followers of Jesus, those are the steps we dance. Move. Wait. God asks us to wait on him. God also calls us to be brave and move scared.
The patience to wait and the bravery to move are the defining characteristics setting two of the most famous kings in Israel apart. Saul never quite got the steps right. David rarely stumbled in this intricate dance.
The Failure to Wait
From the very beginning of God’s promise to make Saul king, waiting was a hallmark request of him. When Saul was a young man in his father’s house, he was sent to search for the family’s lost donkeys. It led Saul to the prophet Samuel’s hometown. Samuel meets Saul with these words:
“Go up to the place of worship ahead of me. We will eat there together, and in the morning I’ll tell you what you want to know and send you on your way.” -I Samuel 9:19
Move. Wait.
Saul got this one right. Despite internal concerns, Saul went to the feast, and Samuel anointed him to be king. However, once king, Saul’s missteps begin.
Multiple times, Saul had the following situation set before him.
In I Samuel 13, we find Israel at odds with their longtime enemy, the Philistines. The Philistines gather a massive army on the border of Israel. Saul calls his army to face the Philistines, but he is instructed to wait for Samuel to arrive before acting. Saul was promised victory if he would just wait.
But Saul was scared. The army was jittery, so Saul itched to move.
Saul waited one day, then another, and one more. After seven days of waiting for Samuel, Saul acted on his own. Saul tried to do the right thing. He offered a sacrifice to God.
But for God, obedience is better than sacrifice.
It’s a sign of things to come. God knew Saul wouldn’t get the next steps right either. Move. Wait. Wait. Move. Saul continues to be king for another thirty years, but the kingdom is ripped away from his family and given to the shepherd boy, David.
Wait. Move.
The Right Steps at the Right Time
David’s entire adult life is dancing these steps with God. David is anointed (promised) to be king as a young man. Almost immediately the pressure begins. David finds quick success, and Saul resents him for it. Saul tries to kill David multiple times, and just as many, David has the opportunity to kill Saul.
David knows those are never the times to move, so he waits. Finally, God Himself clears the way for David to take the throne — Saul dies in battle. One of David’s first acts as king is to make Jerusalem his capital and home.
Israel’s old foe, the Philistines, don’t like David strengthening his throne so quickly, so they gather to attack. David has built quite a fortress in Jerusalem. For the moment, he is safe. Should he wait? Should he move?
The easy and safe decision is to wait. The brave and bold decision is to move. David begins by asking. David asks God, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” (2 Samuel 5:19 NLT) A smart question, right?
However, now David is faced with an even more daunting task — obedience. David must obey whatever God directs him to do. Wait. Move. Here is God’s response:
““Go up,” GOD replied. “Count on me. I’ll help you beat them.” -2 Samuel 5:20a MSG
Good news. God is going to be with David. David believes and obeys. David moves. “David then went straight to Baal Perazim, and smashed them to pieces.” (2 Samuel 5:20b MSG). Not only does David move, but he makes no hesitation. David is rewarded with a win.
5 Tips to Get the Steps Right
David got the dance right. What about you? Do you know the steps? Many times it’s natural and easy, but just as often it’s difficult to know if you are to wait or move.
Here are five tricks to use to get the promise of God dance steps right in your life:
1. Determine your default state.
David and Saul were both driven leaders. They have the same default state - move. What set David apart was his ability to also wait. David must have recognized this default desire to move within himself. The knowledge helped him temper his drive, so he could more easily wait when the situation called for it.
You have a default mode wired within you. Move or wait. Personally, my default mode is wait. Movement is more difficult for me. I’d rather wait a beat longer to analyze the situation. However, this can paralyze me in the long term too.
Knowing this about myself helps me see my situation more objectively. I can play devil’s advocate with myself. When I take my natural preferences out of the equation, what should I do? What is God saying to me?
Do you naturally move or wait?
2. Analyze your fear.
Fear is a natural emotion given to us by God. It is a survival mechanism to keep you alive. Fight or flight; move or wait. Fear is designed to drive us into action. Again, you have a natural disposition when faced with fear, so it’s important to know if the fear you are feeling is rational or irrational.
Can you train yourself to analyze your fear objectively? You should know the reality of the fear driving you. At the same time, you should also know the word of God (see below). Fear should always be weighed alongside God’s word.
When Saul’s army began to melt away under the pressure of the enemy and their inaction, his fear was legitimate. However, God’s instruction was just as real.
God’s word always trumps your fear.
3. Take the next right step.
Intentionality is key to freedom. David knew he was never to take action against Saul - the Lord’s anointed. So when he had the opportunity to kill Saul, David knew the right step to take. Wait. In the long term, this decision led to freedom and success in David’s life.
What is your next right step?
It’s a question you can always ask yourself when faced with this decision of move or wait. This is intentional living. It will help you answer the question of wait or move.
When you know the next right step, move (even if that means waiting). When you aren’t sure what step you should take, wait.
4. Practice patience.
In one word, Saul’s problem was impatience. His lack of patience flowed from mistrusting God. Had Saul simply been content to wait he could have had the legacy of David.
Patience is never easy for driven men and women. We want to see improvement…now. We want movement in our lives…today. The fact you’ve read this far into this post tells me you have more drive than the average person.
The best way to learn patience (or anything) is to practice it.
Practice patience waiting in line at the grocery store. Practice patience with your children. Practice patience with the people you work with. Pay attention to your breathing and heart rate. Be conscious of your thoughts about the people around you.
God is not always quick to move (as we consider speed). So we need to be patient in the waiting. If you can learn to wait patiently, blessings will follow.
5. Listen for and obey God’s voice.
Be quiet. Listen for “loud thoughts.” Hear outside voices. Measure these with scripture and mentors. These are all ways you can hear God’s voice. Contrary to what the culture tells you, God DOES speak, and he does WANT to speak to you.
When you hear God’s voice, it will be clear what you should do - wait or move. As Saul and David both learned, though, this doesn’t make obeying God’s voice any easier. Obedience is just as important as hearing God’s voice. But the more you obey God’s voice, the easier it will be to hear God next time. Obedience will always be more difficult than hearing, but the more you hear the more opportunity you have to be obedient.
The Master of the Breakthroughs
When David was faced with his wait-or-move moment in Jerusalem, he got the dance steps right. He waited, then he moved. It says that David named the place where he met his enemies, “Baal Perazim” or “Master of the Breakthrough.”
The challenge you are facing today - massive or minor - is an opportunity for God to break through. When you wait for God to speak, and then are obedient to his word, you will see Him breakthrough in your life.
Can you imagine it? Can you imagine what your life will look like when God breaks through? God wants to break through in your life. It may not look like you expect. You may move when you expect to wait. You may wait until you expect to move. Your obedience will result in you declaring God the Master of your Breakthrough too.
The dance steps are within your ability to learn. Move. Wait. Wait. Move.
Writing Playlist
I don’t know if we have the same taste in music, but here are some songs to explore. All the links go to Spotify. While writing this post, this is some of what I was listening to:
Songs that Saved our Lives - U2 curated list (I couldn’t just choose a few)
Abandoned - Brandon Lake
If I was a Bird - Mission House