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

"Your Love" by Kevin Winebarger - When Mercy Becomes Your Identity

Kevin Winebarger teamed up with Joshua Frerichs and Benji Cowart to create this beautiful song. "Your Love" tackles that discouraging voice we all hear from time to time, the one that whispers that we're not enough and that we are defined by our past. "Once a liar, always a liar," and all kinds of variations along this same line of thought. This song isn't about wallowing in shame. "Your Love" is a celebration of the grace that changes everything.  The opening lines hit hard: "I could believe that I'm not enough // It's clear to see I don't measure up." Yep, we've all been there! But this isn't how God want us to be defined… He loved us first! "It's just what You've done // Because of Your love." That's the heart of everything.  Kevin places the change the God brings into perspective, "I could believe that my mistakes // Will follow me down into the grave // But I'm not who I was....

"Welcome To Your Life" by Howard Gripp: A Fresh Start, Every Morning

What would change if today felt brand new?  Howard Gripp asked himself that same question on a beach, watching waves erase impressions in the sand, making the beach look as new again. He wasn’t planning to write a song. He was just sitting there, reflecting on his own journey, and recalling the day he realized he could leave his past behind and start fresh. That memory became the key message of this song: “every day is an opportunity for a new beginning.”   The lyrics open with Howard standing “out on the ocean’s edge,” the breeze in his head, the waves making “everything so clear.” Clarity like that doesn’t usually come from noise. It comes from stillness. “See your past, like footprints in the sand // Slowly fade as the tide rolls in.” Footprints don’t argue with the tide; they can’t, they’re powerless. They just vanish, one wave at a time.  Psalm 103:12 says the same thing, only louder, and puts it this way: “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remov...

"Let It Rise - Live" by Hope Worship: When Surrender Becomes Worship

What if surrender opened the door to change?  Some songs ask nothing of you. “Let It Rise — Live” asks everything. Hope Worship wrote this song as a simple invitation that is meant to feel welcoming rather than complicated: ask the Holy Spirit to have His way in you. No hidden agenda, no complex theology lesson. Just an open door for the Holy Spirit.  Hope Worship repeats a line that sounds a bit risky: “Break my heart open.” Why would anyone ask for that? Because a closed heart can’t hold much of anything new. The song builds from that vulnerable request into a rising cry: “Let it rise like incense.” Picture the smoke curling upward, unhurried, unstoppable. That’s what surrendered worship looks like.  Keep that picture of incense in mind as you read Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” David was offering something real, something costly, and trusting that God would receive it. Your daily...