Remember Christmas morning as a child—the first glimpse of the enticing packages tucked under the tree? Did you hop and clap with delight?
Or how about that winning touchdown for your team—in the last few moments of the game with your school’s arch rival? Did you jump up and shout in celebration?
Perhaps a family member or dear friend recently announced glorious news—a baby on the way, better employment obtained, or a clean bill of health finally received. Did you find yourself dancing for joy?
Over-the-top pleasure and exciting events will do that to us. And although the body may no longer respond with hops, jumps, or dance, our spirits certainly soar in the moment.
The prophet Habakkuk of Old Testament times wrote about just such a response. I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrased the verse: “I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God” (Habakkuk 3:18 MSG). Sounds like the prophet received the answer to a heartfelt prayer or perhaps a miracle had occurred.
Truth is, Habakkuk’s home city of Jerusalem faced imminent invasion by the brutal Babylonians. Recent conquests of other kingdoms left no question about the city’s fate.
God had made clear why disaster loomed. The people of Jerusalem had continually ignored his wise ways and reveled in wickedness. Multiple warnings had been proclaimed and disregarded.
In response God was about to provide a means of saving his people—not from the ruin of their city—but from the ruin of their souls. He would allow the invasion and a period of captivity in a foreign culture 900 miles away (Isaiah 39:5-8; Jeremiah 25:1-11).
Jeremiah in 605 BC. The invasion took place in 586 BC.)
Habakkuk questioned God’s decision, wondering why he would allow the Babylonians, a people more wicked than the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to “swallow those who are more righteous than they are (Habakkuk 1:13)?”
By the end of his book, however, the prophet’s doubts had turned to faith and he declared—in the face of calamity–“Yet I will celebrate the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (3:18 NIV).
The word rejoice in this verse is ‘alaz’ in the original Hebrew, and means to “spin around for joy.”* Can you imagine? Disaster loomed. All Habakkuk had ever known would be destroyed. If not killed, he would be forced into captivity in a hostile country.
Yet Habakkuk determined to dance for joy in his spirit—spin cartwheels even.
How does a person acquire such joy? Not by setting her sights on things that make her momentarily happy. Deep-down dancing joy grows in proportion to our trust in God, and our trust grows in proportion to our knowledge of God—knowledge gained as we spend time in His Word.
We’d also do well to remember the close relationship between joy and gratitude.
As 2022 unfolds, a number of crises threaten—in our cities and states, our country, and around the world. With Habakkuk of old we have a choice: to sink into despair over the real possibility of disaster, or to rejoice in our God who will enable us to endure whatever we may face (James 1:2-4).
It is our turn to spin for joy–in the God of our salvation!
*Linda Dillow, Satisfy My Thirsty Soul, 202.
Art & photo credits: http://www.flickr.com; http://www.love.nimages.com; http://www.maxpixelnet; http://www.wikimedia.org; http://www.pxhere.com; http://www.pixabay.com.
From the Inside Out 
In one of the daily devotionals from Open Doors there was the story of a Christian man imprisoned for his faith. He was weak and frail, and yet he remembered passages about dancing before the Lord and decided he would do just that in his cell. His captors, seeing him leaping and dancing, concluded that he had lost his mind, and they let him go. 😀
P.S. I was at a women’s retreat when I learned – on my birthday – that I was going to be a grandmother for the first time. I remember shrieking and the holding hands of a lady I didn’t know, who – bless her heart! – was jumping up and down with me. ❤ !
What a delightful lady, to join you in celebrating your exciting news with such enthusiasm!
Wow–what a fantastic story! Praise God for a very creative means to release that prisoner. (He’s good at that, isn’t he?) Thank you for sharing, Ann.
As God has miraculously healing me from my debilitating infirmities, I am turning the cartwheels of joy, Nancy! How I love this imagery! Thank you for reminding us that we can ever rejoice in Jesus our Savior.
Blessings!
I’m SO glad you’ve turned the corner, Martha. Praise God for answered prayers for you! Also thankful the imagery of this post spoke to your situation.
Oh, this blog is wonderful!! I’ve been thinking so much about all the mess around us in the world and asking God to keep me looking at Him instead of all the mess. No matter what happens, God loves us and He IS love. And I love how you wove together the connection between knowledge of God, and gratefulness, in our ability to have joy. May you be blessed, Nancy, as you have blessed me.
Even as we pray about our deep concerns, we still have MUCH to be grateful for. Best of all, our future is secure in Jesus. (You have my permission to remind me of these truths when I get overwhelmed!)
Good one Nancy. We can’t actually do that by mustering up joy within ourselves
Well, I cant (and I would break something doing an actual cartwheel).
The presence of the Lord and his joy in me has to be my reality.
Like Jesus “who for the joy set before him, endured the cross…” boggles my mind but there it is. Hanakkuk proved it can happen as well.
Thank you, Gary. I wouldn’t try to do a cartwheel anymore either! But in my spirit? Yes, it still happens. You are so right: Just as Jesus kept the assurance of future joy in mind, so can we. Not easy, but I’m confident God will provide the wherewithal to endure when necessary. I’m thinking of Corrie ten Boom’s story to that point, which you probably know. Praise God for such provision!
“Though the fig tree should not blossom…” Habakkuk rejoices even in the face of impending disaster. This is one of my favorites from the Bible. At least my soul is still capable of cartwheels.
Agreed, Robert–wouldn’t want to try a physical cartwheel at this stage of life! But spiritual ones, for joy in the God of my salvation? May I be doing those till Jesus takes me home!
Sometimes there’s nothing like The Message to give a whole fresh look into God’s Word. Let’s hear it for living out a ‘cartwheels of joy’ life for Him!
I have grown to greatly appreciate Eugene Peterson’s insightful paraphrase. We own a two-column Bible with the NIV on the left and The Message on the right. I enjoy comparing the two. As for spinning cartwheels of joy, I’m right with you, Linda–Huzzah! Huzzah!
I never could turn cartwheels, but my heart can. Thank you for sharing beautiful scriptural encouragement.
You’re welcome, Pam. As always, I praise God for his inspiration!
I think this says it all, Nancy, “In response God was about to provide a means of saving his people—not from the ruin of their city—but from the ruin of their souls.” God is all about our hearts.
Amen, Lisa. I’m so thankful he’s continued to work in my life since childhood and never given up on me! I can’t imagine life without him.
Love this image! “I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God” (Habakkuk 3:18 MSG). wow will remember that one!
Isn’t that wonderful imagery? Eugene Peterson was a master artist with words!
I love Habakkuk’s story. He reminds me of Job and David. They question God, but stay faithful no matter what! Lessons for us to learn there.
For sure, Habakkuk, Job, and David offer stellar examples of men who stayed faithful through difficulty. Another I especially appreciate: Daniel. These and so many others through the centuries prove that “all things are possible with God” (Matthew 19:26), including endurance with joy. As for current heroes, you and Bill certainly exemplified that kind of joy! “True saints can wear the mismatched pairing of suffering and joy”–Jennifer Dukes Lee.
Thanks for this encouragement, Nancy. “It is our turn to spin for joy–in the God of our salvation!” Yes!
I’m so glad you found encouragement here, Lisa. That’s always my prayer before I hit the “publish” button each week!
The lead photo is so expressive, Nancy. When children dance unabashedly or simply react with joy, I’m reminded there is still innocence and good in the world. Your post makes a powerful point. Why do we dance for our own joys but not for the more powerful joy He gives us? I think about my father, recovering from COVID now and no worse off for it. Shouldn’t I be dancing, since I have Him to thank?
Somewhere in the middle of reading your post I started hearing “Lord of the Dance” in my mind. Haven’t thought of that song in years (“I am the Lord of the dance said he…”). The lyrics pose the question, if He’s willing to dance, then why aren’t we?
Isn’t that little girl adorable? / Praise God your dad is recovering well from Covid! Such good news. / Yes, we have much to dance about even though the crises mount. I too remember that song, Lord of the Dance. Such wonderful imagery, e.g: “I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun” (about creation). Thank you for reminding me. And yes, Jesus is inviting us to dance through our days with him; we are foolish not to!
Nancy,
That would be great to be able to praise God that way. It is challenging many times.
Thanks, Gary
Agreed! I’ve certainly had days of plodding instead of spinning. But I want to fight against the former and embrace the latter!
An absolutely perfect rendering for these challenging times, Nancy. Thank you for this. It reinforces that God is in control and He will make sure things are perfect in His time.
AMEN, my friend! These are just the reassurances we/I need in times like these.
Thanks for posting! Let’s pray and hope for a true revival.
Oh yes, Sam. I pray that lies would be exposed and truth would shine in bright contrast, that people would recognize evil and discern what is good, and finally see the wisdom of seeking God through Jesus Christ with all their hearts and souls!
Such a wonderful and uplifting post!!! It is so true…it is only when we ‘let go’ and let God, that we find any peace at all. Trust in God is the only key to joy…everything else simply fades away.
Thank you, Linda. You’ve summarized the point well: Trust in God is the only key to joy!
Amen!! I love all these words – thank you! At 54 years old, I still enjoy turning cartwheels now and again! And from here out, when I do, I will think about Habakkuk 3:18! Blessings! ~Debbie Prather
Good for you–turning those cartwheels for joy! Who would have thought they could be closely tied to scripture? Thank you for stopping by, Debbie, and taking the time to comment.