AND THE FATHER WILL DANCE OVER YOU IN JOY
By: John Dowdell
I wanted to reflect a bit about tomorrow’s anthem, And the Father Will Dance. In the text that we sing, we present a bit of a duality – God delights in us, while we delight in God.
First, we see God delighting in us. The quick tempo and the playful tune both help paint this picture for us. As we open the song, we begin by describing his joyful pleasure: “He will take delight in whom he loves”, and “he will joy over you in song!” It’s wonderful imagery, taken from the book of Zephaniah, that our creator actively and musically delights in our faith.
And we, in return, rejoice in God’s faithfulness. At measure 33 the composer, Mark Hayes, slows down the song to reflect on his steadfastness: “My soul will make its boast in God, for He has answered all my cries, His faithfulness is as sure as the dawn of a new day.” Then, after that reflection, the quick tempo resumes, as we respond in mirroring the Father’s musical joy. One line from our response particularly stands out in reflecting Trinity’s vision themes: “Cast away fear, for you have been restored!” Fearless faith! It’s not unlike what we sang last week, “Christian, answer boldly!” In this life, we certainly do have our fears and troubles, but our anthem urges us to set those aside and instead put on the garment of praise.
In measure 95, there’s a special shout out to us, the choir, in describing God’s delight: “Is that a choir I hear singing the praises of God? No, the Lord God Himself is exulting o’er you in song!” When God exults over his faithful, it is something gorgeous, akin to the beautiful sound of a skilled choir. We get to play two roles in this story – as followers, we individually shed our fears and join in praise of our creator. But also, as a choir, we collectively get to offer a glimpse of the glory of God.
As we go through this coming week, let us think through the message of this song.
Dear Father, thank you for this choir, this new season, the music that we sing, and for this retreat where we can prepare for the months ahead. As we live out this week, may we invoke the delight you take over us, and may we also take steps to live out the message of our music in our own lives. May we cast away fear this season and put on the garment of praise, joining in jubilant song. In your name we pray, Amen.
And the Father will dance over you in joy!
He will take delight in whom he loves.
Is that a choir I hear singing the praises of God?
No, the Lord God Himself is exulting o’er you in song!
And he will joy over you in song!
My soul will make its boast in God,
For He has answered all my cries,
His faithfulness is as sure as the dawn of a new day.
He will take delight in whom he loves.
Is that a choir I hear singing the praises of God?
No, the Lord God Himself is exulting o’er you in song!
And he will joy over you in song!
My soul will make its boast in God,
For He has answered all my cries,
His faithfulness is as sure as the dawn of a new day.
I wanted to reflect a bit about tomorrow’s anthem, And the Father Will Dance. In the text that we sing, we present a bit of a duality – God delights in us, while we delight in God.
First, we see God delighting in us. The quick tempo and the playful tune both help paint this picture for us. As we open the song, we begin by describing his joyful pleasure: “He will take delight in whom he loves”, and “he will joy over you in song!” It’s wonderful imagery, taken from the book of Zephaniah, that our creator actively and musically delights in our faith.
And we, in return, rejoice in God’s faithfulness. At measure 33 the composer, Mark Hayes, slows down the song to reflect on his steadfastness: “My soul will make its boast in God, for He has answered all my cries, His faithfulness is as sure as the dawn of a new day.” Then, after that reflection, the quick tempo resumes, as we respond in mirroring the Father’s musical joy. One line from our response particularly stands out in reflecting Trinity’s vision themes: “Cast away fear, for you have been restored!” Fearless faith! It’s not unlike what we sang last week, “Christian, answer boldly!” In this life, we certainly do have our fears and troubles, but our anthem urges us to set those aside and instead put on the garment of praise.
In measure 95, there’s a special shout out to us, the choir, in describing God’s delight: “Is that a choir I hear singing the praises of God? No, the Lord God Himself is exulting o’er you in song!” When God exults over his faithful, it is something gorgeous, akin to the beautiful sound of a skilled choir. We get to play two roles in this story – as followers, we individually shed our fears and join in praise of our creator. But also, as a choir, we collectively get to offer a glimpse of the glory of God.
As we go through this coming week, let us think through the message of this song.
Dear Father, thank you for this choir, this new season, the music that we sing, and for this retreat where we can prepare for the months ahead. As we live out this week, may we invoke the delight you take over us, and may we also take steps to live out the message of our music in our own lives. May we cast away fear this season and put on the garment of praise, joining in jubilant song. In your name we pray, Amen.
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