UNRESTRAINED

Loosen Up!

Do you know when you’re most irresistible to God? When you surrender to Him. Unrestrained.

“… offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship.” Romans 12:1 (TNIV)

Paul means your life, yourself, your being. Try it during your prayer time with Him.

When you’re pursuing God, dampen the distractions racing through your mind. He knows they are there. You know they are there but quiet them into captivity so you can worship your Father in spirit and in truth. Be unrestrained – like King David. Remember when he busted a move?

“Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” 2 Samuel 6:14,15 (TNIV)

Picture this - a King - jumping, leaping, singing and twirling before his King perhaps even stumbling a time or two among some 30,000 others as they carried the Ark into Jerusalem. David’s jubilation roiled inside him like fire shut up in his bones! It came out. Unrestrained.

God beckons you to come to Him like that, with a confidence that liberates.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)

David clearly didn’t have a distracting thought in his head. He didn’t give a fat rat’s fanny about others’ opinion of how he worshipped.

His moves may have been worse than Elaine’s in the now classic, hilarious Seinfeld episode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY_DF2Af3LM or more awkward than Jon Stewart doing the “Harlem Shake” which, by the way, the Chinese are calling the “Loser Dance.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdUtPhsDUso&feature=youtu.be

But David didn’t care. Neither did God. The King of Kings loved it. And not because of David’s physical expressions. God loved David’s heart. It was a good one. Even when David was but a young shepherd about to be chosen King, God explained why to Samuel:

“God doesn’t look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the Lord sees into the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (CEB)

Now as King, David followed God’s presence. Unrestrained. His wife held him in contempt for it.

“When Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked out the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Eternal without thought for how he looked, she hated him.”  2 Samuel 6:16 (VOICE)

Wow. Then, she told David, her husband and King, what she thought of him.  

“The king of Israel made a big name for himself today!” she said. “He exposed himself like a fool in the sight of the servant women of his officials!” 2 Samuel 6:20 (GNT)

David just didn’t care. He let nothing sidetrack his full surrender during that sacred moment.

“Then David danced before the Lord with all his might…” 2 Samuel 6:14 (KJV) 

Remember the last time you danced with all your might?  It wasn’t choreographed. Those feelings stirring up your insides were too much to restrain. You didn’t care that the music was too loud; that you were a sweaty mess; that you had run out of breath and had even bounced off a few others. Wasn't pretty but you got your dance on!  Your heart was in the right place. Unrestrained. God loves that.

He is not looking for your physical prowess or exertion. He’s not looking at how coordinated you are or even if your body moves. He simply is looking at the place from where your worship emanates. Your heart. He loves when you give it to Him. Unrestrained. Just know, that kind of unfettered joy could shake out in a limb or two!

- Still Processing