Hearing God’s Voice: Tension and the Key to Good Dancing

Following an unseen God often feels like wandering in the dark, and that’s exactly how the Israelites felt leaving Egypt. But God does give us quiet confirmations when we’re on the right path. He gives us quiet unrest when we’re about to turn the wrong path. And the thing about faith is… we often have to step out and hope we heard His voice correctly before we know for sure.

Sometimes His leading is very bold and clear and I’ve had a ton of experiences like that in my past. But the more I grow in our relationship, the more subtle his directives get.

This reminds me of how a young married couple needs to use lots of words and discussion to iron out their new lives together. But after years of good communication, they get down to a certain smile or a certain glance across the table and that’s all they have to say. There’s a knowing with communication when relationships mature. It’s like another language all your own when you’re so well known by someone who loves you and has spent years and decades getting to know you and vice versa.

It also reminds me of a young couple trying to figure out how to dance together. My late husband and I used to have to use lots of words when we first started dancing together. He thought to get me to spin he had to actually push me in that direction. Nope. By the time we talked it through and practiced dancing together, we got it down. With time, he could just turn his hand a certain direction and I knew where I was meant to spin or turn or pause. This kind of dancing with God is where we want to get. It may start with awkward conversations with the Lord and lots of direct communication. But as communication gets better, so does the glory and beauty of the dance together. But the thing that makes ALL partner dancing work… it’s tension. The tension is actually what keeps you connected when dancing!

Tension! So in times where you feel confused in the desert [link!!], know that this tension is what keeps you more focused on God to know if He’s leading you forward or turning you around or spinning you here or flipping you there. So when I feel the tension between me and God as I try to figure out what my next move is in following Him, I’m going to try to think of dancing. And how that tension is actually what keeps me tethered to His presence, His lead, and His gaze.