Do you put your hands up when you praise God? Why? Why not?
There was a time when I felt tearfully grateful to God for taking me out of the situation I had been in and claiming me for his own.
(Five years of cancer put paid to both my long-term marriage and my business. Then Jesus claimed me in a church where, as a Jew, I thought I wasn’t supposed to be. He then led me to meet and marry my lovely Boaz, Butch.)
I was more expressive then than I am today, mainly I think because I am now leading a life that is mostly serene and happy.
KING DAVID PUT HIS HANDS UP
Recently, however, Christine Sakakibara, lay preacher at my new congregation of the Church of the Nazarene here in Jerusalem got me thinking when she encouraged us to raise our hands to the Lord when we worship.
She cited several examples of times when King David raised his hands to pray this way:
Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
Psalm 28.2
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 63:4
HANDS UP: A JEWISH POSTURE OF PRAYER
Jews still pray in this posture in synagogues all over the world and the apostle Paul encouraged Christian believers to do likewise:
I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.
1Timothy 2:8.
SURRENDER AND TRUST
Hands up is a gesture of surrender. We put our hands up to show that we have no weapon and that we are totally at the mercy of the other.
It is also a gesture of trust. When a child asks his Daddy to pick him up, he is expecting together time and to be carried where he cannot go on his own steam.
HEARTFELT
God loves to receive our heartfelt praise. However, it is vital to ensure that we are authentic, neither raising holy hands because we ought, nor keeping them at our sides because we feel we ought.
We are neither here to be the star of the expressive worship, nor shrink from giving God His due glory because of onlookers. Paul reminds us to be measured:
Let everything be done in a fitting and proper manner that is organized, well-planned, respectful, well-mannered, and polite.
(1 Cor. 14:40)
That said, putting our hands up looks like good practice for heaven. We find descriptions of wonderful worship events in the Book of Revelation.
GO FOR IT
Christine’s sermon encouraged us to go ahead and raise our hands:
“If you are facing a battle, whether it’s mental, physical or spiritual, do not let the enemy beat you down and tell you there is no hope. If we are going to face the world, we need to know the power of lifting our hands in prayer. Unless God is present and with us, we cannot win. I encourage you to raise your hands and pray to the Lord… we are dependent on prayer because we are dependent on God.”
So, what is your verdict? Let me know in the comments below.
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Lifting up my hands to God in Praise and worship any time any where is my way of honoring God but a lso my act of total surrender to Him. David in the bible ‘stole ‘the heart of God through this kind of worship. I’ve come to realise that God can’t worship Himself that’s why He created man to bring worship to Him. Raising hands is an act of worship to Him who is Holy, Mighty, Able, Greater,Faithful, etc.
Yes, Eve, quite so. And the Bible tells us many times that God acts to glorify Himself, so I agree with your suggestions that He has created us to worship him.
I loved the picture of the child reaching up to their father.
I have passed through deep waters and challenges but have always found a place of rest and comfort as I lift my hands to my heavenly father. It’s hard when others around us in church don’t feel comfortable lifting hands, but I just follow my good Shepard and humbly become as a little child. I look to him as I raise my hands
Thank you for speaking out on this, Christine, and inspiring my own piece. Several friends have written to me privately following this post that they love to raise their hands but often don’t dare in a seemingly non-hands-raising church. It’s rather sad.
Yes, I lift up my hands, especially when this is what the song we are singing says. I try to involve my whole body in worship, and find it strange when we sing songs like “Lord, I lift your name on high” or “I fall to my knees” and our body does not reflect what we are singing. It’s challenging though when a majority in the congregation does not follow suit. I confess that I get self-conscious…
I think this is why I have chosen to write about the subject today, Si. We want to stay authentic but that can sometimes be a struggle when the authenticity of those around us is different from what we feel God is saying to us.
I wish I could lift my hands up high! My body is not functioning as I want it to and I cannot even stand for more than a few minutes without feeling like I am going to pass out! Sometimes I don’t even have enough breath to sing 🎶
However, I have come to realise that God is looking at my heart: what is going on inside me, and I have to confess that that isn’t always in the right place or position! Especially when I am more concerned about what other people are thinking about me!!
I am happy in my church: some raise there hands, some don’t, and some like me ‘just sit there’ and that’s OK. We’re not just following others but worshiping in our limitations.
I can’t wait to get to heaven and be completely free of all restrictions 🥰
Julia, thank you for posting this. You are right that God looks at our heart. It was the original message of Christine in the sermon that sparked my piece.
Putting up my hands in praise to the most almighty Lord our God is so freeing!
When a goal is scored at a football match everyone lifts their hands in excitement and joy.
When I watch AMERICA’S GOT TALENT and a singer is so good that they get the GOLDEN BUZZER where gold flakes shower the contestant for their incredible voice You see hands lifted up in joy and admiration!!!
When I am so truly in tune with my Lord, it is automatic, I can’t help it, my hands go up by themselves!
Praise be to our God forever!
Bless you dear Bobbie and Butch, may God keep you safe and happy.
Big hugs
Lynne
Beautiful words and sentiments. Thank you. Bobbie
I cann’t stop lifting my hands up to worship and thank Jesus for rescuing me out of a cult. Previously, I had been brought up in “The Way ” cult by my parents and taught that any outward expression was “worldly”!!! Whatever that means! God had a plan for my life. He sent someone, who later became my husband, to tell me about the Good News of God’s grace offered to Jesus. The first time I lifted my hands wasn’t easy…. but as I looked around the church and saw people with eyes closed, totally lost in worship, lifting their hands high – I felt chains fall off and total freedom!. Thank you for the lovely video of the soldier being welcomed. It made me cry. What are the words of the song being sung? I would love to know what is being sung. But understand you probably don’t have time to do that. God bless you, Pamela
Thank you for your words, Pamela. You express beautifully the freedom of lifting our hands – feeling chains fall off! The video I added in my newsletter is indeed lovely. My Hebrew is still imperfect but my understanding of the song’s words in summary is that “Good days are coming. What is important is the delight of coming home of an evening.” https://youtube.com/shorts/GDlrlfuS6F4?si=r9PmPsis8yuk6BIi
It saddens me to hear people – often non-believers – refer to whole congregations as happy-clappy, in a derogatory fashion. Do we not have a celebratory faith?
Safe travelling to England.
Janet
Well said, Janet. Love that you wish me safe travels in England when I live in a country that is at war! God bless you.
Yes! I lift my hands, and others in my congregation do too. But not everyone does.
I came to know the Lord in a Pentecostal church years ago. The enthusiasm in that church was catching. People raised their hands everywhere, sometimes accompanied by joyful noises to the Lord, and sometimes in quiet reverence, with tears streaming down their faces.
What is important is to not be in a position where one feels inauthentic, isn’t it? My Pentecostal congregation in Canada could be very expressive. Mostly, I loved that. What do you think, though, about speaking in tongues that no one interprets?
In regard to “speaking in tongues that no one interprets. There are times when we speak in our “prayer language” directly to God. The Holy Spirit is speaking through us either in praise or giving information that we may not even know in our minds to God. Sometimes we can speak through groans that are from so deeply within us that we do not even know how to express it. There are things that are not inexpressable in one language, but expressable in another. The Spirit speaks those through us. Does this help?
Exactly, Majetta: as Paul says in Romans 8:26-28:
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Worshipping God with our whole bodies is important whether it’s raising our hands, crossing ourselves, standing or kneeling.
Yes, Donna, agreed: it’s important to be all in for God.
I attended a church that did not endorse the raising of hands in worship. I attended a retreat where I was totally overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit. (There are several terms I could use for this). The Sunday I returned home I attended the evening service at my church. In worship my hand raised up and I knew the Holy Spirit lifted it. My sister beside me pull it down gently. But I learned that it was the Lord teaching me to lift my hands in worship. I have continued to raise my hands in worship ever since except in places like funerals and in visiting churches that frown on it.
Thank you for sharing your story here, Doris. We know when the Holy Spirit is with us, and it is not okay to pretend it’s not happening.
At the church we attend, people put up their hands all the time so it isn’t an issue. What I would say, though, is that if I were in a different church, without this tradition, I probably wouldn’t simply out of respect. God knows what is in our hearts.
Well said, Ruth Ann. God knows exactly what is on our hearts.
Like most of your correspondents I raise my hands in church. Again not everyone does but there are no sour looks – nobody takes any notice of the person standing next to them. I like the idea that God has created us to worship Him in this way because He cannot worship Himself. Although I can no longer lie on my face before the Lord physically I know my spirit does when I am worshipping and that too brings worship and praise to the Lord.
Your church sounds like they have got the balance right. Don’t you love it, Esther, when in the Tanach (Old Testament) we find women worshipping in heartfelt manner?
In my main church congregation there are a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds and ethnicity and therefore people express their worship in diverse ways. Some clap and dance, raise hands or bow down, sit or kneel or jump about. Some pray in English, others in tongues. Some give a word in tongues and others will interpret. Everyone is accepted and loved. In my other church it is more ‘religious’ and everyone stands, kneels or sits at the same times. Almost none of them raise hands or speak out in tongues. In both churches, many individuals are very devout and sincere in their love for Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. I love them both, though my preference in worship is more for the more charismatic.
Thank you for sharing about the differences, Dawn. I think what is really important is to feel comfortable and ‘right’. If overt expressions make you uncomfortable, then don’t do them. Likewise, if conformity seems too stiff, let yourself go. It’s not about approval of the others, or it shouldn’t be. It’s about telling God how you feel.
I have been in many countries, many different denominations, and many different cultures. I have seen many types of worship from standing with raised hands, sitting with raised hands, sitting with tears flowing from the eyes, kneeling with raised hands, kneeling with body prostrate, lying with body prostrate on the floor– all types positions of worship. The scripture says to “worship in Spirit and Truth.” That is what is important. May God bless each of you as you worship Our Holy God!
Stirring words, Majetta. Thank you.