Learning to Cheer for God Like I Cheer for the SF 49ers!

Why is it that I can cheer loudly for the San Francisco 49ers or other favorite sports teams but feel embarrassed to lift my hands to praise God during a worship service?

This was a question I asked myself a few years ago when I noticed how much I despised worship flags. Now that I think about it, maybe it was God asking me that question to bring me freedom in worship.

Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
—Psalm 149:1, 150:6 ESV

One day back in 2017, I walked into a prayer gathering and saw a woman standing at the entrance waving a red flag and smiling while praise music was playing. I walked past her feeling hostile toward her and the flag because it seemed ostentatious and melodramatic. Flag waving in this setting was foreign to me. Oh, I’d seen color guards wave flags at high school football games. But at a church meeting? The woman’s flag-waving made me uncomfortable.

Shortly after that while out of town, I visited a couple of churches where flag-waving was a common practice. I loved the worship at these churches because I could sense so much freedom in the room to express our love to God. But I found myself lifting my hand to my face to block my view of the dancer on stage who was twirling a flag. Back then I didn’t understand worship flags and it distracted me from focusing on Jesus.

Soon after that, God, in His Fatherly way, began to teach me about uninhibited praise. He reminded me how King David danced “with all his might” in the streets of Jerusalem after he victoriously recovered the Ark of the Covenant from enemy hands.

And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord,
with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
David danced before the Lord with all his might.
—2 Samuel 6:5, 14 ESV

Sadly, when David’s wife Michal saw him dancing, she didn’t understand his exuberance and “despised him in her heart” (2 Samuel 6:16 ESV).

In my bitterness toward worship flags, the Holy Spirit showed me that I was like Michal. I despised what I knew nothing about. I felt so terrible, like an ungrateful child who didn’t appreciate her daddy’s gifts.

I realized worship flags were simply another way to show love and adoration to the One who created me and calls me His beloved daughter. So I bought an orange worship flag and started using it in the privacy of my own home for praise and worship.

Then in the Fall of 2017, God had me capture what I had learned about uninhibited worship in a poem and then put me on the spot to share it. Yes, that’s right—in front of other people! My husband and I were taking a class on the Psalms led by Pastor Brian Morgan at PBCC. The week we were studying Psalm 25, Brian assigned us to write a poem about one idea from that psalm and to create something with our hands to go along with it. As I read the first few verses, the line “let me not be put to shame” (v. 2) reminded me of King David and Michal, of my own desire to worship the Lord with abandon, and how tricky it can be to honor that desire when those around me are used to more solemn, inward worship.

So for the assignment that week, I wrote a poem about what God had taught me and sewed a set of five colorful worship flags like the one I’d purchased. My stomach rumbled as I thought about sharing this with the class. I mean, if I had an adverse first reaction to worship flags, what would other people think, especially those who were most likely not exposed to praise flags? I had friends in the class who liked worship flags. What would they think if I told them what I was doing? Would they caution me not to present this?

As I wrestled with these thoughts, God reminded me of a miserable time when I did not obey Him and a sweet time when I obeyed him during worship. One time in church when I disregarded God’s nudge to do something, I felt miserable because I knew I had missed out on His blessings. On the contrary, when I obeyed His nudge, I received so many blessings. Months before during corporate worship at church, I was so moved by a song and really wanted to stand up to praise my Lord. But because the entire congregation was sitting down, I suppressed that desire and stayed seated. I then sensed God nudging me to stand up. But Lord, what will other people think of me? I don’t want to draw attention to myself. He encouraged me to stand with my eyes closed to block out the congregation and focus on Him. When I obeyed and stood up, I became overwhelmed by His Presence and immense love for me. Tears welled up in my eyes. I felt His warm embrace surrounding me. I was so consumed by His tangible Presence and felt so blessed by Him. I had no idea how much I would be blessed by obeying Him.

As I thought about the poetry class, I was not about to disobey Him this time. I would present the worship flags but decided not to tell anyone what I was doing so they wouldn’t talk me out of it. I felt strongly that God was calling me to read my poem, demonstrate how to wave a flag and teach the class about uninhibited praise.

As I walked up to the front of the class holding the brightly colored flags, my friends got wide-eyed and looked at each other with concern. I stood at the podium and told the class how God taught me not to despise worship flags. I twirled one of the flags high in the air and then read my poem.

Uninhibited Praise – My Psalm 25:2-5
written on 10/10/17

Superscript: After I learned not to despise people who waved worship flags because God showed me the freedom I could have by waving a flag for Him.

O Lord, my Abba Daddy, The Mighty King of the World
I lift up my soul to You in praise.
My banner now lifted high.
Without shame, I pour out my praise to You,
like David dancing uninhibitedly in the streets before You.

Let none who worship You with full abandon
be despised or put to shame.
Silence all the Michal’s and lead them into Your truth.

O Abba Daddy, continue to teach me Your ways
Keep unmasking my judgmental attitudes
and the lies I believe
Continue leading me into Your full truth,
into Your Godly ways
into deeper uninhibited worship,
into even more freedom from the fear of man.

Forgive me for all the times I was like Michal,
despising those who adored You (with flags, with hands raised, etc.)
Forgive me for cheering more at a championship game
than for You.
Break down any walls that keep me from glorifying You.
I love being Your cheerleader.

And in those moments when You call me to stand in worship
when the rest of the congregation is sitting,
make me obey You.
not to draw attention to myself, but to honor You,
to taste the beauty of Your Holy Presence upon me once more,
to feel the freedom of entering Your throne room.

For Your Presence, Abba Daddy, I wait all the day long.

Love, Your royal princess warrior daughter

Because of this experience, I’m learning to focus on what God is saying and obey Him despite what I sense from people around me. I’m learning not to judge others or despise what I know nothing about, but instead to ask the Lord about things I don’t understand and to pay attention to what He reveals to me. Through my asking, learning, and being eager to understand, the Lord is making His ways and His heart known to me.

Nowadays, when I wave a flag during private praise and worship, I’m not doing it to draw attention to myself or the flag, but to point to Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Redeemer, to Holy Spirit, my indwelling Guide, and to Father God, my Protector and Defender. And when I see dancers waving flags in church, I marvel at the elegance and beauty of their graceful moves.


[1] 2 Samuel 6:14-16, and 20-23