In this week’s blog I share the stories behind a medley of songs that I cannot believe I have never told you about before. In the early days of my public ministry I used these songs together quite often because they simply brought me so much joy. People grew so accustomed to the simple piano introduction of the first song that they would began shouting and clapping in anticipation of the - I don’t know a better way to say it - of the fun they were about to have. It felt as if I was trying to rein in a massive group of horses - and it was glorious.

That first song is called “O, The Glory” and it came to me on January 14, 1987. I was serving as lead worshiper and as a song receiver at Western Hills Church in Oklahoma City at the time. We were experiencing a wave of worship of the Lord Jesus Christ and we quite naturally began to desire to worship the Lord with our entire being. To worship with our entire being meant not just the use of our voices and our hands, but with the very real yet very intimidating desire to dance before the Lord. We had all come out of lives of bondage to sin and had experienced deep woundings, but this was a time when we needed to put off the grave clothes of sin and sorrow and to put on the garments of praise and joy.

The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 30:11 NIV

11 You turned my wailing [mourning] into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy…

“O, The Glory” was one of the first songs the Lord gave me at Western Hills concerning dancing before the Lord! This song took us through many months of reckless abandon-and innocent rejoicing as we sought to praise Him with our whole hearts. Those were such incredibly awesome days filled with joy. Like little children in a candy shop, we were amazed and filled with curiosity at all God desired for His children in the area of praise.

Amazed that we had believed the lie that we could not worship in the dance because it was a worldly form of worship. Amazed that we could worship in the dance and still be modest and holy! God must have gotten a good laugh out of watching us step in these waters cautiously first…and an even greater laugh when He gave us those little nudges toward ‘the deep end!’ In His presence there is fullness of joy. Let us worship Him with all we are - spirit, soul and body.

In Isaiah 44:22-23 NIV we find the Lord responding to the nation of Israel for the way they had turned away from worshiping idols. He said, 22 “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." 23 Sing for joy, you heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.

The next song in the medley, “With A Shout Of Glory”, and it came to me on August 28, 1989. It was approximately a year earlier when we began a ministry to the Body of Christ in Oklahoma City we simply called The Night Of Praise. We invited the Body of Christ to come together once a month for the sole purpose of exalting Jesus Christ as Lord in worship and praise and intimacy with Him by the Holy Spirit. Soon, many came each month representing hundreds of individual church bodies from many different denominations. We realized that our common denominator was Jesus and that our purpose was to lift Him up. As we did this, our praise became weapons in the hand of the Holy Spirit. This song was born as a song of warfare and as a means of lifting up the name of Jesus. In fact, His name is to be shouted and celebrated as this song is sung. I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to give you a vision for the lives of others and use this song as a means of intercession on their behalf.

The third song in the medley - “I Will Celebrate Your Presence, Lord” – came to me on July 28, 1988, simply born out of the joyfulness of knowing Christ and worshipping Him with reckless abandonment. This is one of those songs that just ‘happened.’ In other words, I believe it poured forth from my heart as I meditated on the goodness of the Lord.

Psalm 149:3-4 NIV says,

3 Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.

4 For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.

I honestly believe God takes more delight in me than I take in Him…and honestly, that makes me want to worship Him all the more. Are you ready to celebrate the presence of the Lord? Go ahead and rearrange the furniture in your living room and give yourself some dancing room and then just dance for the Lord…dance with the Lord…dance like only He is watching. Are you ready?

Jeremiah 31:10, 13 NIV says, 10 "Hear the word of the LORD, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.' ... 13 Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

Friends, let me remind you. Our God is good and faithful and desires nothing but our best. There will be times of mourning, but He will turn that mourning into gladness. There will be times of great sorrow, but our God will bring comfort to our broken hearts and will replace that sorrow with joy. Joy is as simple as knowing I am never alone. Ever. That’s something worth dancing for.

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis jernigan Podcast version of this blog, go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/o-glory-medley-121929633

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2020/01/18/16/34/woman-4775733_1280.jpg