Skip to main content

Hunter Plake, Dancing In The Courts: Joy in His Presence


'Dancing In The Courts' by Hunter Plake is about the essence of true joy and surrender. It reflects Plake's desire to choose Jesus over everything else, and rejoice in His presence and the promise of an eternal life with Him.

Hunter Plake - Dancing In The CourtsGrowing up in a family of musicians and minsters, Hunter Plake's path to his BEC Recordings debut took a few unexpected detours. As a teen, Plake led worship in his home church, even getting his GED his junior year of high school so he could attend ministry school. But it wasn't until he auditioned for NBC's The Voice that music became a possible career path. 'A friend of mine, Koryn Hawthorne, had just gone to the finale on The Voice. I thought, well, if she can do it,' Plake says with a smile. He ended up placing fifth in his season, opening doors for him to pursue music full-time.

After a few years of recording pop songs, producing and trying to make a go of it in Los Angeles, Plake felt something missing in his life. In June of 2020, his nagging and ever-present sense of emptiness grew into a full-on collpase. 'I hit a breaking point and had a total breakdown,' Plake says. 'I hit the end of myself.' In crisis mode, Plake turned inward, writing songs between himself and God instead of performing for an audience. His realization? If it comes down to choosing between anything and Jesus, Jesus wins every time! This insight has led to his latest song, 'Dancing In The Courts.' 

His commitment is clearly visible in the lyrics, 'I just wanna walk inside the light, 'Cause nothing in this world compares to eternal life.' With this song Plake encourages us to let go of our own burdens and pride, and make it a priority to find joy in God's presence. The chorus, 'Dancing in the courts with you, This life is temporary so I'm not gonna worry,' is a powerful affirmation of faith, a reminder to live fully in the moment, anchored in the unwavering hope of an eternal life with Him.

Plake's music gives listeners in the 'alternative' genre something to listen to but still know what the songs are about. His songs are not vague. It's about Jesus, you can hear that. With music that can carry you away intertwined with lyrics that keep you grounded, Plake's songs are a shining example of a man who's stepped back from the edge. 

Plake shares: 'At the end of the day, if I have to choose between Jesus or something else, I'll choose Him every time. That's what changed for me. That's what makes me excited. That's why I wanna do music.'

(Related scripture: John 8:12; Revelation 21:4; Psalm 84:10)

Listen to a podcast episode about this song

Connect with Hunter Plake


You can listen to the track directly on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0o06o4YM5i8KQSMXfZf57Z

Here is a link to the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1NyPybFxUo

Would you like to hear more CCM music? Then check out our Christian playlists on: https://www.christiandance.eu/playlists

PS: Did you know that the posts we have on Medium.com also contain the backstories that artists have shared with us? Check it out on: https://christianmusictoday.eu/

Popular posts

"Not Far From Us" by Divine Vibes: Stop Searching. Start Reaching.

The search can end right now. The Apostle Paul stood in Athens surrounded by altars and idols — a city full of people reaching toward something they couldn’t name. Among all their shrines, Paul spotted one inscription: “To an unknown God.” That moment became the opening of one of the most powerful declarations in Scripture. The people were already searching. They just didn’t know who they were searching for. “Not Far From Us” is a collaboration between Divine Vibes and House of Purpose. The track takes that same scene and sets it to Afro House and cinematic electronic music. Created directly from Acts 17, the lyrics move like Paul’s speech itself — from observation to revelation. “I found an altar to an unknown God // This God whom you worship without knowing // This is the one I’m telling you about.” Divine Vibes doesn’t just retell the story… he pulls you right into it. What Paul told the Athenians next also applies to each of us today: “Yet he is actually not far from each one of ...

"Chasing Nothing" by Louis Loock: When Grace Starts Chasing You

Success fades. Approval fades. What actually lasts? Picture yourself walking home. A normal walk home, nothing dramatic. Just sidewalks, tomorrow’s to-do list, and thinking about what you own and the career/life you have. That’s where “Chasing Nothing” by Louis Loock starts. He continues to reflect: “Emptiness surrounds me, for no reason that I see, // People walkin’ past, time goes by so fast.”   It’s fascinating to experience how everyday moments like these trigger deeper reflections. For Louis, these reflections led to a change, not because he found more stuff or more approval, but because he found less of himself and more of God. “Then You came into my life, You opened up my eyes,” he writes. “I was chasing nothing, I was running mad.” That choice of words matters. He wasn’t chasing something that turned out disappointing — he was chasing something that turned out to be empty. An illusion. A finish line that keeps moving further away. Does this sound familiar?  Scripture...

"Time in Your Presence" by Austin J. Smith: Why Wasting Time With God Is Never a Waste

Could “wasting time” be the greatest worship? Austin J. Smith wrote “Time in Your Presence” around a simple but countercultural idea: “love doesn’t calculate” . We live in a world that is obsessed with output — checklists, side-hustles, proving what we are worth through who we're seen with and what we accomplish. So what happens when you bring that same mindset into your relationship with God? Austin sums up the answer in a single, defiant line: “I’ll waste my time in Your presence.” Not because sitting with God earns us anything. “Earning” isn’t required by God.  The lyrics elaborate on that tension. “The world just might think I’m foolish,” Austin sings, “to waste my whole life on you.” ‘Foolish’ by whose measure and which definition? Our culture rewards busyness and prestige, but it’s not capable of measuring the benefit of a quiet moment with your Creator. Austin calls God his “morning star” and “golden hour”  — the beautiful moments of the day that don’t need justification...