As God worshippers, God calls each of us to worship Him and only Him. As we go about this worship, the Bible clearly lines out certain forms of worship, not only as suggestions, but as commands.
Part 1 – Lift Your Hands
The Bible actually implores us to lift up our hands in worship to God. Psalm 134:2 says, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” Why? Raising our hands to God communicates so many different and important things.
If you grew up in a church that was fairly conservative, you know that the only times you raised your hands were if you had a question (and that wasn’t “allowed” either, so what we have to do is learn to raise our hands; which is odd when you think about it, since raising your hands have so much meaning.
Watch a football game on Sunday afternoon, or any sport on any day. When an athlete scores a touchdown, what’s the first response? Hands shoot straight up in the air! It’s the natural sign that someone has won and that you’re excited about it. You don’t have to think about it, you just do it.
Or, think about the television show COPS. The police chase down this shirtless drunk, and what’s his instinctive reaction? Hands go up. The raising of hands in this instance is the universal sign of surrender. How much more in worship do we express our joy in surrender to Jesus and His lordship of our lives?
Another example is that of a small child when Mom or Dad come into a room after being away for awhile. They come running with lifted hands wanting to be picked up! My kids do it even if I’ve only gone to the store for five minutes, but it’s the excitment and assurance that Mom or Dad is there to take care of them and protect them and just the joy of being together. How much more is our joy to hold out our arms for our Father to pick us up and hold us in His eternal arms?
You see it at music concerts all the time — people reaching, pleading, waving, hoping with outstretched hands toward the star onstage. These fans would give anything for just a touch from their favorite star; but sadly, the star onstage doesn’t have much to give in return for all that desire. A song and a good time maybe. But our famous God has everything to give (and wants to give it). He holds out life for the taking. How much more should we lift up our hands to Him?
Excitement.
Surrender.
Joy.
Comfort.
“Raise your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” – Psalm 134:2
to be continued with Part 2 …
portions of this article taken from “The Way I Was Made” by Chris Tomlin
Comments are closed