Dancing Proud: Lessons from Isaiah

   You can barely see it through the dust clouding the window pane. She sits there in the dimly lit, dust filled room, on the middle of the bare floor. She had stood tall once before and she had learned her lesson. Life was a hard teacher.

   All eyes turned away from the girl sitting alone, to a man as he walked in. He towered far above her in his majesty and took away their breath with his appearance of strength. She simply looked on in unamused silence, knowing what was coming; the onlookers watched him, unaware of her presence. 

   She let her mind wander back to the day when she had walked into the same room and seen a high wall broken down. She had given a go on center stage, and taken every breath away, she captivated every eye of the ones who watched her. One day she had thought she was “all that”. Now she knew the truth.

   The wall had caught her attention all those years ago, but she didn't dwell long on wondering of it's strength and majesty- a majesty that was now broken down before her. She had danced out on the stage, too filled with the ideas in her own head. She was determined to lift herself high in the minds of all who saw her. She danced and danced, twirling one way, and then another. The fluidity of her beautiful motions and the strength possessed in her being drew the eyes of everyone who saw. The entire nation was captivated by her every move. They relied on the strength of her beauty to lift them from their own sorrows, and she didn't easily disappoint.

   She had been on that very stage, on a night much like this, when the nation needed something to hang their hope on. She had determined in her heart to meet their need, to lift herself up once again. The lights were ready, the stage was empty, and the people waited breathlessly in their seats. She took a step out onto the stage, her feet barely touching the floor. She rose to her full strength of beauty and began to dance.

   It was at that very moment, in the pinnacle of the performance, as the music began to come to a crescendo, that the lights blew out at the dazzling brilliancy of someone so beautiful and strong, that all of her own beauty began to look like a shallow counterfeit to what was meant to be. She felt ashamed and shrunk down at the height of His beauty and majesty. The nation that had hung their hopes on her false strength looked at His light and felt the shame of trusting her counterfeit.

   All fell silent in the light of His brilliant majesty and all else paled in comparison to His power and might on the day He came and walked into their lives.

   The deepest part of the hearts of those in the nation, not to mention her own heart, had felt the hope of life at the sight of Him. Although His majesty had overwhelmed them, they felt safe within His strength. At once, all of their hopes in her power were laid aside, the same way she now lay crumpled and unseen off to the side of center stage. They began to trust Him, and though it broke her heart, she found healing in the trust as well. Her pride was hurt, yes, but when she was laid down, they were all more able to look on Him and see the strength of His beauty. They could put their trust in the reality of His unmatchable strength. She was content to lay aside that His majesty could be seen.  

~

   She came out of her remembrance and looked sadly at the scene now before her. Here were the children of those who came to watch her dance all those years before. They now turned their eyes to the man who proudly strutted across the stage and she could barely bear to watch as the hearts of this people were again falsely captivated. It had been a few nights now that they came out to watch this man, and she knew He was going to be coming soon.

   The people looked on, and the lights started to shake as the man's microphone turned off, and they could no longer hear the fluid sound of his persuasive words. They had trusted this stranger to take their hearts away from their struggles and they were confronted with Him as He walked into the theater. His eyes were filled with a strange mix of anger, disappointment and love. The audience fell silent as He began to speak.

“I thought I told you to wait for me.” He said gently. “Haven't you grown tired of running out every night and spending all you have for this mock show, when all it does is leave you hungry for more? Aren't you sick of feeling emptier every time you walk out the doors? I told you to wait for me. Was it so hard to just rest until I came?”

   The man who had spoken to the crowd before He entered had fallen on his face when He walked through the door. The man was laying beside her, forgotten, off to the side of the stage. The crowd could only sit there feeling ashamed and filled with a deeper longing for the show to begin. They hoped that in spite of their rush to fill their hours until He arrived, that He would still take center stage.

~

   She watched and waited to hear His tender voice speak once again. Every word filled her soul and brought a deeper rest than she had known was possible. She found herself surrounded again by a crowd of people- all humble before Him. All the shame began to evaporate, and she was content to sit off to the side of the stage and rest in His presence.

   The sound of His voice filled her again as He spoke. Turning to look at Him she realized that He was talking to the man, “Sing for me.” And the man got up, dusted himself off, and started to sing. Before she could get over the shock of the humbled man's singing, He turned to her and spoke again, “Would you dance with me?” Overwhelmed by the thought of this invitation to dance with Him, but too moved to resist the invitation she took His hand and started dancing...

   “I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant...” -Isaiah 13:11 

   

   Through the whole of the book of Isaiah you see God waiting for His people to turn to Him, and yet He is again and again met with their unfaithfulness. They turn time after time to the wickedness of the surrounding nations in hope that they will save them from their hopeless state. God has asked His people to wait on Him to be their life and hope and restoration, but again and again they have refused the only one who could fulfill the longing of their souls.

   So, God stands up and lays low the pride of all those who tired to stand in His place. He will not stand for an imposter that will only offer his children counterfeit life, in the place of the beautiful life He was waiting to give them. If only they would have humble themselves long enough to rest and wait for Him, instead of running around tiring themselves out by desperately trying to fill their aching souls and broken hearts by throwing themselves into the arms of a false hope. They trusted in Assyria; they ran to Egypt, but all failed as soon as God walked on the scene. His glory outshone the majesty of princes, and humbled His children.

Yet in God's great love, He extended the invitation of life to the people who in their own pride had turned His people from Him. In His wonderful and great mercy, He opens an invitation to everyone who has failed Him. He offers for all to rest in His love and be restored...

~

   Oh Lord, I know that your beauty and majesty are so much bigger than me. I see your goodness and your beauty and I hear your invitation to life that is constantly before me. God, why am I so much like Israel??? I run around and I try and fill myself up by going to what looks good. It is so hard for me to rest and wait for you to fill me;. It is so much easier to stand up in my pride, and try to fill the longings of my soul with what I think can restore me. It never works.

   God, I am here humbled before your great love and mercy. I can't believe that despite all my failures, you continually invite me to be a part of your story. Despite my past pride in thinking I know what can save me, you extend your invitation once again to simply wait. You ask me again to rest in your love.

   Here I am. I respond to your invitation I will wait and rest in your love instead of running around trying to fill up my heart. Thank you that you know the desires of my heart...Please help me rest and trust. Thank you for letting me get up and dance in the light of your love.

He opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble...