Catch It
“Lift up your hands in the Sanctuary and praise the Lord.”- Psalm 134:2
With having three sons an annual Zwerling pastime has been to go to Dodger games to enjoy the national pastime. Whenever we have a chance to root on the home team, we like to sit in the outfield bleachers. Not only does this section offer lower prices, but there is a higher chance of catching a baseball during batting practice or when someone hits a home run. When the ball comes sailing into the stands a whole bunch of arms go up into the air to catch the ball.
One of the spiritual practices we need to get more in the habit of doing is LIFTING OUR HANDS. It has been sad to encounter so many believers who have been confused, scared, intimidated, or wrongly taught that lifting your hands in worship to God is purely emotional or a lack of true reverence. I have said on many occasions, “Lifting your hands is not a Pentecostal thing, but a Bible thing!” When we lift our hands there is a physical posture response from what lies deep within which communicates the desire for relationship, the need for help, and the expectation to receive. Psalm 63:4 says, “I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your Name I will lift up my hands.”
Let’s not keep our hands in our pockets based on the claim of having a reserved personality, the fear of drawing attention to oneself, the concern of distracting people, or the worry of what others will think. We already communicate with our hands a lot throughout our day: We motion when we want our kids to come to us or stop doing something; young children lift their hands when they want to be hugged or held; we raise our hand in a classroom or meeting for our turn to speak; we lift our hands in jubilation when our team makes a big play; we use our hands to give approval; we wave our hands to say hello or goodbye; we raise our hands when our name or number is called. So, let’s have our hands do some Jesus worshipping and faith talking too! Psalm 141:2 says, “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of My hands be like the evening sacrifice.”
This week and from this point on I want to encourage you to lift your hands up to God:
- Lift your hands in love, reaching up to your Heavenly Father.
- Lift your hands in prayer, as a symbol of surrendering the burden you have been carrying.
- Lift your hands in worship, to express a life of offering to and a receiving from God.
- Lift your hands at church gatherings, believing for God to move in our midst.
In 1 Timothy 2:8 Paul encourages this type of worship, “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.” It’s time to catch the spirit of celebrating Jesus and receiving all that He has for our lives!