Lift Up Holy Hands

Lift your hands toward the sanctuary, and praise the Lord. Psalm 134:2 (NLT)

I remember as a teenager going to the Methodist Church with my grandmother. I remember the beautiful old hymns being sung with reverence to the Lord. Gradually, more up-tempo songs were added to the repertoire of traditional hymns. The up-tempo songs got people clapping and swaying side to side as an expression of joy in the Lord. Some even raised their hands. Later, when I moved to a Pentecostal church, raising hands during praise and worship became more natural. Scripture talks about lifting our hands, not only in praise and worship, but also when we pray. It talks about lifting holy hands. This is what Paul instructs the followers of Jesus in the early church to do.  

In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. 1 Timothy 2:8

Holy Hands, Pure Hearts

This is what God desires of us when we come before His throne to seek His face and to pray. He desires that we have clean hands, holy hands. He desires pure hearts. When we lift our hands to Him, we do so with the right motives, having cleansed ourselves of anything that could stand between us and a holy God (Psalm 24:3-4). When we lift our hands in prayer to Him, having this posture and heart attitude, we declare that we stand in reverent awe of Him. We surrender to His lordship and kingship over our lives. We surrender the idols in our lives that may be hindering us from truly surrendering to Him. This is the heart posture that God seeks when we lift our hands to Him in prayer. When we do this, David says, we shall receive blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God of our salvation (Psalm 24:5).

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have already been made righteous through His death on the cross and His resurrection. Christ’s gift of grace and His blessings of righteousness should be the impetus for us to honour Him. To desire to ascend His Holy hill, His throne with clean hands and a pure heart. When we do, our souls will find our satisfaction in Him. We will sing joyous praise to our holy and eternal God, knowing that He honours the attitude of our heart.

I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. Psalm 63:4-5 (NLT)

Reflection:

Are there things in your life that may be hindering you from having the heart posture that God desires? Lift up your hands in prayer and surrender them to Him.

Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, that I have been made righteous through the shed blood of Jesus and His resurrection. Reveal the idols in my life that may be hindering me from truly surrendering to You. I pray that the posture of my heart will be pleasing to You so that I may find my satisfaction in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.