The Lord Of The Dance

Have you ever gotten a tune in your head that came out of nowhere? You find yourself humming or singing it and it just won’t go away? Well that is what happened to me the other day. Now, let me state that I don’t remember hearing this song since I first learned it as a young girl, so it is not like I just heard it on the radio or sung it in church last Sunday. It has been ages (OK maybe not that long. That makes me sound too old. LOL) since I can remember hearing this song. Still there it was. It was driving me crazy by the end of the day. I remembered the tune and some of the words. I finally started to wonder if this was God’s doing. So, my next step as a teacher of course was a little bit of research on the Internet.

My search took me to The Strainer & Bell website at http://www.stainer.co.uk/lotd.html , because they hold the rights to the song I kept humming. What was the song? It is called The Lord of the Dance. I contacted the company and got permission to post it on my blog. If you get a moment it is worth the trip to their site to read the history of the song and what Sydney Carter wrote about the song.

The Lord of the Dance

Words and Music by Sydney Carter

I danced in the morning
When the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon
And the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven
And I danced on the earth,
At Bethlehem
I had my birth.

Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he

I danced for the scribe
And the Pharisee,
But they would not dance
And they wouldn't follow me.
I danced for the fishermen,
For James and John -
They came with me
And the Dance went on.

Chorus

I danced on the Sabbath
And I cured the lame;
The holy people
Said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped
And they hung me on high,
And they left me there
On a Cross to die.

Chorus

I danced on a Friday
When the sky turned black -
It's hard to dance
With the devil on your back.
They buried my body
And they thought I'd gone,
But I am the Dance,
And I still go on.

Chorus

They cut me down
And I leapt up high;
I am the life
That'll never, never die;
I'll live in you
If you'll live in me -
I am the Lord
Of the Dance, said he.

Chorus

Copyright 1963 Stainer & Bell Ltd. London, England


When I got done reading the words to the song I prayed for God to open my heart and mind so that He could communicate His message clearly to me, in a way that I could easily understand, so that I could follow His will. God will lead us and direct our feet, if we have faith and listen. We follow His will so that we may honor Him and glorify His name.

Well, when I got done praying a new thought came into my head and then it all made sense. I started thinking back to wonderful memory I had during a very terrible time in my life. This is the story.

My first marriage lasted almost 19 years. One of the things that my ex-husband and I did together and that I really enjoyed was dancing. Oh, how I loved to dance with him. There was such a special bond that was felt for us when we danced.

Right after my divorce when I was in a group at my church a man asked me out. I made it very clear I was not ready to date but if it was company and friendship he wanted that was fine. He thanked me for being honest and said that would be great. Then he asked me if I could dance. Simple question right? Wrong?

I told him yes and no. Puzzled he asked me to explain. I told him about my ex-husband and how we use to love to dance together. I told him my ex-husband was a good leader but that was for a good reason. I had a close intimacy with him when I danced. The reason it was so easy to follow his every move was that as we danced close together the inner thigh of my leg ever so lightly would touch his. I could feel his closeness, I could feel every time he was about to shift or change. Now the problem was that I was not about to have that intimacy with a friend or stranger. I did not want to lead a man on or give him any ideas that were not there. Well my friend smiled and told me no problem. You see, he had been a competition dancer for several years. Now, when I found this out I almost broke the date right then and there but I didn't because of a promise he made me. He told me he would have me dancing like Cinderella in no time that night. Ok, call me fairytale silly but I had to see this.

Well, he was right. He was a wonderful friend and he showed me such gracious kindness that night. He had me twirling and dancing in a way I had never thought possible. It was a wonderful and very special evening, but when I went home that night, I received some wonderful insight too.

So, what is the message to all of this? The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. Having faith in God is like the dance. We must surrender ourselves to God, be willing to put our trust in Him, and be attentive to His direction. But there is one more thing that to me is the key to the puzzle. When I went home that night after my date I realized something. I danced better that night than I had ever danced before but I would have still traded all of that to have had one dance with my ex-husband still with the love and bond we had once had as husband and wife. The key that was missed that night was intimacy.

Now, please don't take this the wrong way. What I mean is when we danced as husband and wife it felt like magic on the dance floor, because of the special bond that we shared. I had no problem surrendering myself to his lead. I was more than willing to put my trust in him, and my mind and body were completely attentive to every move he made. I never had to wonder what was going on, what he was doing, or where we were going. I instinctively knew because of the intimate loving bond we had.

The same goes with our relationship with God. Do you have that intimate loving relationship with Him? A relationship built on love, faith, trust, prayer, and devotion? Do you want to just dance some fancy foot work out on the dance floor with God or do you want more? When God calls us to him He wants more. He is a wonderful, patient, and loving leader. He knows all the steps, but he wants more than that from us. He wants that special loving bond with you on the dance floor like the one I use to have with my ex-husband.

So the question I had to face with my faith was want kind of dancing did I want? Was I willing to open myself up and trust God enough to form that intimate bond? Oh, what a glorious day it was the first time I danced that way with God. I now dance with my God with an intimacy that is to be shared with no one but Him. Are you ready to dance this way with God too?

“Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he”


Dear God, thank you for all the love and patience you have shown me. I want that special loving bond with you always. Father lead me, guide me, direct my feet. Let me dance with praise for you, to honor and glorify you forever. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen

FaithfulToOne © 2007