No. 4

He turns our mourning into dancing

Hello and happy June!

I just wanted to preface this post as I’ve had some technical issues so this post is lacking some creative flare and calligraphy! I hope to resolve the issue soon, but for now here’s No.4…

I’ve been feeling the Lord saying that it’s time to dance again. I used dance a lot as a teenager, I didn't used to care what people thought. But something happened and I stopped. Fear of man crept in - it’s such a robber of destiny.

I’m going to pause here and interject with a story that might seem like a bit of tangent at first. But it’s not, I promise…

During one of the final weeks on our recent trip to America, we got to join in with a 4 day prayer and worship gathering in New England culminating in a 6 hour communion gathering during passover. It was such a significant gathering, and such a privilege to see how the Lord divinely orchestrated it through dreams and prophetic revelation. It wasn’t an event born out of man’s ideas, but birthed from a dream given by the Father that was received, prayed through and implemented as the Holy Spirit instructed (quick side note - pay attention to your dreams friends!). The outcome was that we gathered with a few hundred in a small church round the corner from ‘America’s stone henge’ and the ‘temple of witchcraft’ on a road called ‘Zion’s Hill’ in town called ‘Salem’ (Jeru-SALEM) during ‘Passover’ to lift up our shout of praise to the Lord, believing that there is power in the blood of Christ to break every chain, curse and idol. There is SO much more detail, significance and more about why and how we were there. Ask me about it sometime! But I just love how the Lord leads in the details. It reminds me about the instructions the Lord gave Solomon when he was building the temple. So detailed and precise. How amazing is our God?!

I wanted to share some of the back story and context as I feel like it’s helpful, but before I get carried away down a rabbit trail I’ll get back to the point. During this event, I felt the Lord begin to speak to me about dancing. (Now, when I say dancing - I mean moving my body, jumping about and just being abandoned in worship and praise. I can’t say it’s beautifully choreographed or even elegant for that matter! But it is moving to rhythm and the beat of worship). I felt the Lord saying that as I begin to dance, chains will break, heaviness would lift and mourning would turn to joy. The ‘strategy’ (if you can call it that) the Lord had given for this Passover event was all about lifting up praise. It was time to praise Him with the dance.

Perhaps some might look at me and think I was ‘free’ in the way I worshiped already. But I knew I wasn’t. It’s hard to fully describe, but I just knew I wasn’t totally abandoned and free. And that feeling wasn’t just about worship times. But now I had this choice, and I knew I had to yield and step out (however uncomfortable it might feel), I couldn’t ignore it or push it down anymore. I’ve been feeling this stirring, and I know others have too, that there just isn’t time anymore. There isn’t time to hold on to junk, to think we will deal with stuff at a later date or keep going round the same things again and again. But there’s an opt in for us, a choice to say ‘enough’ to the restraints. To run to Jesus. In His mercy, for it is His kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), He’s brought me to that place - I’m so done with not walking the freedom He paid for, in any and every area of my life. For freedom, Christ set us free (Galatians 5).

“you have turned my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” Psalm 30:11

When I got back to the UK, something felt different. I felt freer. One thing I can say is something’s changed. I walked into a worship meeting a few weeks ago simply to dance. I would never have done that before. I was the only one in that small gathering jumping about, but I didn’t mind. I just knew that I can’t just dance in the confines of my room where no one can see me. I have to move my feet in the midst of people too. And as I move, I feel more alive in him. I am feeling freer than I’ve ever felt. I know there’s more, and this is definitely not the end of the story.

I know that the Lord is bringing me to greater levels of freedom and joy Him. And that freedom is seeping into other areas of my life too. But I also feel like this a prophetic sign. He turns our mourning into dancing. And this season has been a tough one. It’s been a time of wrestle with the Lord. Wrestle over the promises that are yet to come to pass. Wrestle over my future, my present and wrestle over my past. I feel like I’ve been stripped bare, to come to a place of total abandonment before a good God. And while it’s felt like a period of mourning and pain, He says that He’ll turn my mourning into dancing. I know He is doing just that.

“the spirit of the Lord is upon me…. to grant to those who mourn in Zion - to give then a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and the garment of praise in stead of a faint spirit” Isaiah 61 vs 3

There’s beauty to this freedom. Exchanging the heaviness and putting on that garment of praise. I know this isn’t just for me. I’ve been in a few meetings recently where leaders have said that we are in a moment where the way forward is through praise. I believe it.

Let us put on our garments of praise, and praise for He is Worthy. Always Worthy!

Much love,

Katie

p.s I wanted to share this worship set as it’s been a powerful sound track for me recently: Praise - Upper Room