Raising Hands Up in Worship
This past Sunday during the worship service, I encouraged members to consider raising their hands as part of their worship to God. I’d like to expand my thoughts here.
Biblical Examples of Raising Hands in Worship
Scripture is filled with examples of God-worshippers lifting or raising their hands as part of their worship to God:
Nehemiah 8:6 (ESV) –
"And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen,' lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground."
Psalm 134:2 (NIV) –
"Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord."
Psalm 63:4 (NIV) –
"I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands."
These are just a few examples, but there are more throughout the Bible:
https://www.openbible.info/topics/raising_hands
Expressing Our Love for God with All of Us
Consider the times you’ve been to a stadium to watch your favorite sports team or a concert with a musician you enjoy. There are often many moments when the gathered community expresses their enjoyment with passionate shouts, hand-clapping, raising hands, and other physical expressions of joy.
In every human culture, there are physical ways we express our enjoyment (kissing, hand-clapping, singing, dancing, shouting, etc.).
It seems that part of being made "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:26) includes humans, across all cultures, expressing joy and happiness in external, physical, and tangible ways.
We are not just minds. We are minds encased in bodies. We are not just thoughts. We have emotions.
The most important command, according to Jesus, is to love God with all of ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40).
So, if we find ourselves physically expressing our love and enjoyment at sports games, concerts, movies, or celebrations, why would we suddenly keep our hands in our pockets and quietly sing to the Creator of the universe, who sent His Son to make the ultimate sacrifice to save us?
Biblical Examples of Raising Hands in Worship
Scripture is filled with examples of God-worshippers lifting or raising their hands as part of their worship to God:
Nehemiah 8:6 (ESV) –
"And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen,' lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground."
Psalm 134:2 (NIV) –
"Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord."
Psalm 63:4 (NIV) –
"I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands."
These are just a few examples, but there are more throughout the Bible:
https://www.openbible.info/topics/raising_hands
Expressing Our Love for God with All of Us
Consider the times you’ve been to a stadium to watch your favorite sports team or a concert with a musician you enjoy. There are often many moments when the gathered community expresses their enjoyment with passionate shouts, hand-clapping, raising hands, and other physical expressions of joy.
In every human culture, there are physical ways we express our enjoyment (kissing, hand-clapping, singing, dancing, shouting, etc.).
It seems that part of being made "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:26) includes humans, across all cultures, expressing joy and happiness in external, physical, and tangible ways.
We are not just minds. We are minds encased in bodies. We are not just thoughts. We have emotions.
The most important command, according to Jesus, is to love God with all of ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40).
So, if we find ourselves physically expressing our love and enjoyment at sports games, concerts, movies, or celebrations, why would we suddenly keep our hands in our pockets and quietly sing to the Creator of the universe, who sent His Son to make the ultimate sacrifice to save us?
Forced Worship Is Not the Aim
Perhaps you wonder if raising hands without a genuine desire is forced or insincere worship. It may seem more sincere to give God our true state of mind in song.
But imagine if we approached all spiritual activities with this same attitude:
To be a "disciple" of Jesus means to be "disciplined."
Following Jesus involves self-denial (Luke 9:23). We follow Jesus over our own desires.
The aim of this post is not to guilt, coerce, or force anyone into raising their hands. Rather, I want to encourage you, filled with the Spirit of God, to lead your often fearful, insecure, and timid self toward the proper exaltation of God.
Distraction or Devotion?
Perhaps our fear is that we are attention-seeking when we worship in these ways. We worry that passionate worship might distract others from focusing on God. This concern is valid, and Jesus condemns attention-seeking religious acts (Matthew 6:1). If we are clapping, raising hands, or singing with passion for others to see us as "spiritually mature," then we need to repent of hypocrisy.
But at the same time, we should consider this:
Your Worship Is Being Watched
Modeling a Love for Jesus
We are constantly modeling Christian practices to one another.
We benefit from seeing examples like Bryan and Lauren attending church just weeks after the delivery of their beautiful son.
We are encouraged by Joan stepping up to lead our new Youth Ministry during a busy season of her life.
We are inspired by Jason and Chelsea embracing Shepherding Ministry so soon after marriage.
We are all watching one another. And when we see these steps of faith and Kingdom-building, our hearts are encouraged to follow their example.
The same principle applies to the worship of King Jesus.
When we focus on blessing the heart of Jesus and don’t hold back our love and appreciation for Him, we are modeling a love for Jesus to the VIPs in attendance, to one another, and to our children who worship alongside us.
Consider all these factors the next time you have a chance to sing to the Lord.
May Jesus be blessed in our family as we sing to Him every week.
Love,
Pastor Mitchell
Perhaps you wonder if raising hands without a genuine desire is forced or insincere worship. It may seem more sincere to give God our true state of mind in song.
But imagine if we approached all spiritual activities with this same attitude:
- "I won’t read the Bible or pray today because I don’t feel like it."
- "I won’t attend church today because I’d rather get some rest and watch Netflix."
- "I won’t resist temptation because I’d rather give in than resist."
To be a "disciple" of Jesus means to be "disciplined."
Following Jesus involves self-denial (Luke 9:23). We follow Jesus over our own desires.
The aim of this post is not to guilt, coerce, or force anyone into raising their hands. Rather, I want to encourage you, filled with the Spirit of God, to lead your often fearful, insecure, and timid self toward the proper exaltation of God.
Distraction or Devotion?
Perhaps our fear is that we are attention-seeking when we worship in these ways. We worry that passionate worship might distract others from focusing on God. This concern is valid, and Jesus condemns attention-seeking religious acts (Matthew 6:1). If we are clapping, raising hands, or singing with passion for others to see us as "spiritually mature," then we need to repent of hypocrisy.
But at the same time, we should consider this:
Your Worship Is Being Watched
Modeling a Love for Jesus
We are constantly modeling Christian practices to one another.
We benefit from seeing examples like Bryan and Lauren attending church just weeks after the delivery of their beautiful son.
We are encouraged by Joan stepping up to lead our new Youth Ministry during a busy season of her life.
We are inspired by Jason and Chelsea embracing Shepherding Ministry so soon after marriage.
We are all watching one another. And when we see these steps of faith and Kingdom-building, our hearts are encouraged to follow their example.
The same principle applies to the worship of King Jesus.
When we focus on blessing the heart of Jesus and don’t hold back our love and appreciation for Him, we are modeling a love for Jesus to the VIPs in attendance, to one another, and to our children who worship alongside us.
Consider all these factors the next time you have a chance to sing to the Lord.
May Jesus be blessed in our family as we sing to Him every week.
Love,
Pastor Mitchell
No Comments