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/

Tags:

Popular posts

"I Will Rejoice" by Maria Segerholm: Thankful for the Sunshine and the Rain

Joy is a choice you can make today. “I Will Rejoice” by Maria Segerholm is a song of joy and praise, and her message is that joy is a choice despite the challenges we face. Maria has been called a happy person since she was a little girl. The unexpected happened, the trials came. Seasons arrived when her joy faded, and she says the enemy worked hard to steal her joy. Does that sound familiar? Those seasons didn’t last. Over the past few years, God has taught Maria what it means to rejoice in Him at all times, and this song, “I Will Rejoice”, grew from that lesson. Listen to how she sings it. Clouds try to block her light, yet she won’t stay down. Pain tries to break her praise, so she sings His Name. Fear shakes her soul, and she gives thanks “cause I know You’re good.” Notice the words that Maria uses: Clouds, pain, fear, and noise… They all “try,” but none of them win. Joy here is a choice that she makes again and again, long before her feelings catch up. The bridge pushes further....
More >>

"King Of All Nations" by Ezra Worship Initiative: Sing Today What Heaven Will Sing Forever

Your worship today echoes eternity. Ezra Worship Initiative trains young worship leaders through a ten-week, seminary-based internship. Their songwriters learn Scripture first and melody second. You can hear this in their latest release, “King Of All Nations,” a song written for congregations to sing. The song opens as a prayer: “May Your Name be proclaimed in all creation.” Who does the proclaiming? The Church does. The second verse asks God to “send Your Church to go and tell the gospel story,” which puts all who sing this right inside the request. Who on your street has never heard His name from you? Then the chorus lifts the roof: “All the honor, voices lifted to the King.” Worship here is not a performance. It is sung as a community, young and old, a multigenerational voice of praise. The bridge looks ahead. “All will come, and all will bow.” John saw the same moment: “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, stan...
More >>

"No Other Name" by Joakim Arenius and Josef Tingbratt: Hope That Outlasts the Darkness

Darkness grips hard, but one name holds harder. Where do you turn when your strength runs out? Josef Tingbratt and Joakim Arenius wrote “No Other Name” for that moment. Their song follows a man who is “Restless weary and alone,” “So many miles from home.” Inner voices that treat him unkindly. Then a night raid brings brutal violence: “They tried to break his body down, but they could not break his crown.” Notice what he does when “darkness gets its grip.” He calls Jesus: “Jesus, Jesus hear my cry.” No fancy words, just a cry. The song grew where two struggles meet. Some believers face ridicule or violence for following Jesus. Others fight a quieter battle with loneliness and doubt. Both struggles need the same answer. Peter answered the rulers who questioned him in Acts 4:12: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” He spoke with threats hanging over him. His confidence never rested on comfortable c...
More >>