Lifting hands - Mon 26 March 07

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. Ps 63: 3-4


We express worship in many ways – by singing, speaking out in English or a tongue, standing, sitting or kneeling before God, clapping even. Some people even raise their hands in worship. King David certainly did!

We are called to worship God with our understanding, so I want to look at the “why” behind raising hands.

Most of are familiar with body language: non-verbal communication. We’re talking about eye contact (or lack of it), arms folded or open, firm handshake or dead fish handshake, etc. We become quite skilled at sensing the mood of those who are close to us before speaking to them. Body language is a powerful expression.

Raising our hands to God is body language. It’s symbolic of what’s in our hearts. It’s an expression of openness and warmth and a desire for intimacy.

Raising hands can mean:

- Surrender, giving up. We’ve all seen war films where the words “ come out with your hands up” have been used. Raising our hands can help us in continually surrendering to Jesus.
- Clean hands. Before meals our kids wash their hands and then show them: “look dad/mum – clean hands!” Psalm 24: 3-4. We need to keep walking in God’s forgiveness and grace.
- Please lift me up and hold me. We all need to be picked up and held in our Father’s arms.
- Please help me, I’m desperate. The whole area of intercessory prayer is connected.
- I’m so blissfully happy! Look at the way an audience responds to a rock star, or the way that a football crowd responds to a goal.

Raising our hands means so much. Sometimes it can express more than words.