The Daily Devotional of The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Dancing Lament" for Monday, February 27, 2017 with Scripture Psalm 61:1-4

The Daily Devotional of The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Dancing Lament" for Monday, February 27, 2017 with Scripture Psalm 61:1 (0) For the leader. With stringed instruments. By David:
2 (1) Hear my cry, God;
listen to my prayer.
3 (2) From the end of the earth, with fainting heart,
I call out to you.
Set me down on a rock
far above where I am now.
4 (3) For you have been a refuge for me,
a tower of strength in the face of the foe.
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The psalmist wrote, “Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from the dread enemy.”[Psalm 64:1 (NRSV)]
I teach a dance class each week in which we move our bodies in different ways to express emotions, including negative ones. We bring our hands high above our heads and then move them quickly to the ground as if we’re throwing down a large, heavy object to let go of our pain, anger, irritation, or complacency in an active and physical way.
Teaching this form of dance has taught me how important it is for us to have a way to release our negative thoughts and feelings without guilt, shame, or remorse. After a recent class session, one of my students said, “Now that I’ve danced and released, everything is much clearer.”
Practices such as this allow us to connect with our feelings, whether we need to cry out and complain to God or to give God our thanks and praise.
The authors of lamentation psalms like today’s reading are crying, pleading, and complaining. The psalmists are unafraid to complain because they know God understands the need to release painful feelings. Their honest praying, like our honest dancing, is an authentic expression of our feelings and heartfelt prayers for what we need. We can trust that God receives our complaints so that we may release them and be free.
The Author: Claire K. McKeever-Burgett (Tennessee, USA)
Thought for the Day: God listens to both my complaints and my praise.
Prayer: Loving God, thank you for the many ways we can express our thoughts and needs. Amen.
Prayer focus: To pray honestly

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