Pastor’s Corner: “Hands Up!?”
Psalm 63:4 (ESV) – 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. Lamentations 3:(ESV) – 41 Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven 1 Timothy 2:8 (NLT) – 8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.
We all worship in different ways. Some of us praise God in a quiet way, keeping our joy and thanksgiving inside our hearts and minds, silently offering them to God. Others of us cannot sit or stand still as we clap our hands, raise our arms, singing our worship in a spirit of outward expression. Both ways, and anything in between, if done in sincerity and honesty toward God, are acceptable and honorable to our God, who deserves all our praise.
As we think specifically about our posture when we worship and approach God, there seems to be something special about lifting our hands and raising our arms toward heaven and God. These worshipful gestures may symbolize our desire to reach out and touch God, to invite his presence into our lives, and to unite ourselves with a person outside of ourselves. This physical reaching toward God during worship and devotional time may also be a cry for help and strength for our daily walk, or a specific crisis in our lives.
I am reminded of the story in the Old Testament when the Israelites were fighting one of their early battles after coming out of Egypt. Moses watched from a nearby hillside with his arms raised toward heaven, toward God for strength in the battle. As long as Moses’ arms were raised toward God, the Israelites pushed back the enemy. When Moses’ arms dropped down, the enemy began to win. Moses’ arms were a symbolic channel for God’s grace and providential intervention.
Some time ago, I ran across an article from the Associated Press written by Rob Maaddi. The story was about a 29-year-old wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles named Jason Avant who would raise his hands to heaven after each catch of the football. As the story unfolded, we saw that Jason was celebrating much more than catching a pass or scoring a touchdown. “Jason was 12 when he started selling drugs. He went to elementary school high on drugs and alcohol. Jason soon joined a gang on the South Side of Chicago, surviving shootings and running from the police. Yet, somehow and with a praying Granny, Jason escaped that life unlike so many of his friends.” On May 4, 2003, Jason met Jesus and his life was changed forever. He turned his back on his former life and began to study the Bible even more than his football playbook. Jason testified: “When I lift my hands up, it’s me saying ‘Lord, I know where I could be and I thank you for where I am.’” Isn’t that something that all of us could say?
So pause for a moment today and look at your hands. What do you see when you look at them? An even bigger question is this: What does God see when He looks at your hands? One thing is for sure: Your hands are not just skin and bones — they are symbols of your life. So each day make sure that you lift up holy hands and give glory to your faithful God. Then offer your hands as holy instruments unto Him, to do His will and to reach out to others with His unconditional, unchanging love!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton