Lift Up Your Hands to the Lord

Transcription

1 Lift Up Your Hands to the Lord Parkdale Grace Fellowship Sunday AM, July 24, 2016 For a while now I have sensed in my heart that I should spend some time looking at what God s Word says about lifting our hands to the Lord in worship. Why do we raise our hands? What does it mean? Is it Biblical? Some people think it is a sign of spirituality to raise your hands in worship while others think it is distracting to others; that it makes non-christians uncomfortable in our services, or that it draws attention to ourselves. Some think it is extreme or emotionalism. The raising of one s hands in prayer or in praise to God is neither a new phenomenon developed within modern charismatic churches nor is it an outdated practice carried over from Old Testament Judaism which no longer applies to us. Rather, this practice is thoroughly biblical, having been practiced in the worship patterns of both the Old and New Testaments it has continued through-out the Christian era to this present day. Two popular art figures that were drawn by early Christians on the walls of the underground catacombs of Rome are the symbol of the fish (known as the ichthus) and the stick drawing figure of a person with uplifted hands and arms (known as the orant[e]). Early Christians drew large numbers of human figures with upraised arms and hands which was an image of the church at prayer. The frequency of the use of this figure suggests that it was a common posture of worship in the early church. (Ernest B. Gentile, Worship God!, Portland, Oregon: City Bible Publishing, 1994 p. 166) By nature I have never been a very demonstrative person. Most would not consider me to be very charismatic. You don t hear many loud hallelujah s from me, I don t very easily get excited and I don t usually wear my emotions on my sleeve for others to see. My wife complains whenever she asks me if I like something, my response is always the same: Uhhuh. And she has no idea if I m elated about it, like it a lot, or just think it s so-so. I grew up in a Pentecostal denomination and much of my life was spent around people who raised their hands in worship. But I never raised my hands. I just figured, I m not that kind of personality I don t like to make a big scene. So I just worshipped quietly without the use of my hands. As time went on I learned what it meant to raise our hands in worship and discovered that it had nothing to do with being Pentecostal or charismatic, in fact it was a form of worship that was older than Pentecost and even older than Moses.

2 2 I began sensing that God was prompting me to raise my hands in praise and worship but I just couldn t release myself to do it. I felt so self conscious. It surprised me at how I felt so inhibited and so concerned about what others would think of me if I raised my hands. So I started praying about it and began secretly lifting my hands behind closed doors in the privacy of my own prayer closet. I discovered there was nothing profound about merely the mechanical act of lifting my hands, but the significance I attached to the act of lifting my hands began to make it a very meaningful experience and expression of worship. However I still found it very difficult to lift my hands in church. It started out with my hands held turned upward waist high. Then later I got my fingertips about shoulder height, so only those closest to me would ever notice. This inhibition is particularly ridiculous when you realize that many of the people in the church were raising their hands. In hindsight I believe that it was a spiritual battle for my will. Finally I can remember one day I was just so overcome with a sense of God s desire to have all of my affection, spirit, soul and body, released unto Him without reservation. And I so much wanted to do it but I just couldn t. Then I was convicted with this thought, Ron, are you ashamed to let others know that you are more than just friends with God? Are you ashamed to display your affection and let them know you are really in love with Jesus? Well I made my decision right then. Both arms went up as high as they could go and I just cried with emotion. I do love you Jesus and I don t care if the whole world knows; I m sorry for letting the fear of man hold back my expression of love for you. I am all yours and I want everyone to know. From that moment on I was set free from that self-conscious fear. It really did break the bands when I raised my hands and it gave me glorious victory. Not everyone who doesn t raise their hands in worship has the same reasons as I did for holding back. For some, they have just never found it to be a meaningful expression. On the other hand, there are some who raise their hand with no meaning attached at all it s just the thing to do. Those people would be better off not raising their hands until it can be an outward expression of an inner heart attitude. Don t lift your hands in worship if that act is not a conscious expression of your heart s attitude to the Lord. In order for this expression of worship to be meaningful to us it is important to understand its meaning. What is the purpose or the meaning behind raising our hands to the Lord?

3 3 Hands lifted up to the Lord means many different things. This morning I want to look at ten things the lifted hands represent in the Bible. These are not listed in any particular order of significance. #1. To lift your hands to the Lord is to take the posture of a child reaching up to the outstretched arms of the Father. The Bible identifies us as children of God. Romans 8:16, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God," And we are instructed to relate to God with the humility of a child. Matthew 18:3-4, "[Jesus] said, Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." If a child wants to receive something the parent is holding up go the hands. If a child wants to give you something up go the hands. If a child wants to be picked up and held by you up go the hands. If a child is hurt or frightened they come to you with upheld hands seeking comfort. When my kids were younger there are few things that thrilled my heart more than coming home at the end of the day and seeing them come running up to me with up-stretched arms wanting to be picked up and embraced. And there are few things that tear at a parent s heart more than the rejection and refusal of their child to reciprocate your love. Romans 10:21, quotes what God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people. " How should we as children respond to the out stretched hands of our Father? An appropriate response would be to lift our hands to receive Him. #2. Also, the act of reaching up to one above me is a posture of humility which acknowledges that God, you are big, I am small, you are strong, I am weak. I need You. Psalm 77:2 NLT, "When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven..."

4 4 So the lifting of our hands toward God is a gesture of seeking help, or seeking mercy or blessing from God. #3. To lift your hands to the Lord is an expression indicating that you delight in Him. Psalm 63:1-4, "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name." What is the natural response of a child who receives a gift they delight in? They lift their hands in joy. When children are excited they have a hard time keeping their hands down by their side. We adults are not that much different. How do we respond when our team wins the game? Ps. 119:47-48 (NASB) is an example of poetic parallelism. They are two verses saying exactly the same thing only using different words. Verse 47 And I shall delight in Thy commandments, which I love. Verse 48 And I shall lift up my hands to Thy commandments, which I love. The upraised hands in worship are a way of demonstrating that you delight in the Lord. #4. Lifting of the hands was a way of underscoring the seriousness and affirming the certainty of what you are declaring with your mouth. This is the principle behind the practice carried out in a courtroom when a witness takes the stand, places one hand on the Bible, lifts the other hand, and swears an oath to tell the truth. By raising his hand, the witness pledges that his testimony will be accurate. The raised hand emphasizes the certainty of his testimony. God Himself raises His hand to make oaths and covenants. Deuteronomy 32:40-41, "For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, As I live forever, I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me." Ezekiel 20:6, "On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands."

5 5 The king of Sodom tried to make a deal with Abram in Genesis 14 but Abram wanted no alliance with the ungodly king. Genesis 14:22-23, "But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich " Abram knew that his source of supply was God alone; therefore he lifted up his hand to God and solemnly vowed that he would not take any of the spoils of war. When we raise our hands as we pray or praise it is a way of emphasizing that I mean what I am saying with all of my heart and I am dead-serious about what I am declaring; it is absolutely true. #5. Lifting of our hands symbolizes thanksgiving and praise. Psalm 134:1-2, "Behold, bless the Lord, All you servants of the Lord, Who by night stand in the house of the Lord! 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord." The Hebrew word for hand is yậd, which is incorporated into one of the Hebrew words for praise or thanksgiving, yậdậh. Yậdậh means to stretch out the hand; to worship or revere with raised or extended hands; to give thanks to God accompanied by uplifted hands. (Ernest B. Gentile, Worship God!, p.172) Yậdậh, to stretch out the hand, is translated as giving thanks 36 times in the Bible and it is translated as praise 61 times. So 97 times in the English Bible when you read the words, thanks and praise it is literally in the Hebrew, stretch out the hand. #6. When we lift up our hands to the Lord, it is symbolic of offering our life as a sacrifice to the Lord. You are lifting it up to him and offering it to Him. Ps. 141:2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. #7. Similarly the upraised hands are the universal posture of surrender, surrendering our will to God.

6 6 Ps.68:31 Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God. The meaning here is that they will surrender and submit to God. Like an army that surrenders, they lay down their weapons and raise their hands, raising our hands signifies the surrender and submission of our life and our will to the Lord. #8. In the Bible, to lift your hands to the Lord also symbolized your dependence upon God, and was an expression of prayer. Exodus 17:10-13, "So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." When ancient armies went into battle the armies would be led by soldiers holding up standards or banners which were symbols of their gods in whom they were trusting to fight for them. (Ernest B. Gentile, citing a Jewish commentary on the Torah, Worship God, p. 169) Therefore the account of Moses, with his hands upraised would have been recognized by the people of that time as symbolic of upholding an invisible banner, for there was to be no image made to represent the God of Israel. The uplifted hands symbolized laying hold of the Lord Himself as Israel s banner. This is made clear by Moses declaration in Exodus 17:15-16 NIV, "Moses built an altar and called it [Jehovah Nissi] The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord... " The uplifted hand symbolizes both laying hold of the throne of God and it symbolizes lifting up the Lord Himself as our banner. From Moses time on the uplifted hands in prayer was for Israel a symbolic gesture of laying hold of the throne of God and also of uplifting the Lord as the believer s banner which was an expression of dependence upon the Lord. Lifting the hands in prayer is a demonstration of taking your hands off of the situation, lifting it up to the Lord and leaving it there, depending on God to meet the need. The upraised hands in the Bible are probably best known in the context of prayer and are most often used as a symbol of prayer. Psalm 28:2, "Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary."

7 7 The believers in the New Testament continued to emphasize the lifting up of their hands in prayer as we see in Paul s instruction to Pastor Timothy: 1 Timothy 2:8, "I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;" #9. The lifting of our hands to the Lord is also the posture of an open, willing, receptive vessel, reaching to receive from the Lord. In Psalm 143:6 David says, I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land. The Lord has given us all things in Christ, but all His blessings do us no good until we receive them. The Lord extends his gifts toward us, but we need to respond by reaching out and receiving. This is symbolized through the upraised hands. The famous Baptist pastor, Charles Spurgeon in his commentary on the Psalms says, Uplifted hands have ever been a form of devout posture, and are intended to signify a reaching upward towards God, a readiness, an eagerness to receive the blessing sought after. We stretch out empty hands [for we have nothing to give] we lift them up, for we seek heavenly supplies; we lift them towards the mercy seat of Jesus, for there our expectation dwells. (Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, 1970, II, p. 23) #10. Lifting of the hands is to affirm agreement with what is being said. It is a form of saying amen. There are occasions in which the lifting of the hands was a form of testifying that what is being said applies to me. It is like our practice today of asking the question, All those in favor please raise your hand. Nehemiah 8:3, 6, "[Ezra] read from [the book of the Law]... from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, Amen, Amen! while lifting up their hands " So raising our hands in worship is very biblical but it is not a sign of spirituality. A person can have their hands raised and yet be very unspiritual. When properly understood and expressed sincerely unto the Lord, it is not drawing attention to yourself, nor is it distracting to others. It all depends on the attitude and motive of your heart. If you raise your hands in worship it should be in response to inner prompting of Holy Spirit, NOT in response to pressure to conform, otherwise you will be robbed of the meaning and joy of the expression. I am not trying to establish a uniform style or form of worship. We do not all have to worship the Lord in the same way.

8 8 There must always be freedom to worship from your heart as the Lord is prompting you to worship, not because it s the way you are expected to worship. But I share this so that if you are prompted to raise your hands in worship you can attach greater meaning to your expression. Some of you who often raise your hands in worship are doing it out of habit and you might do well to keep them down until you can attach some meaning to the act. Whether you raise your hands or keep them down you should not be thinking about what others think or about how you are appearing to others. Forget about yourself, and concentrate on Him, and worship Him. We are gathered together for one primary purpose and that is to worship God in biblical and Godglorifying ways. I believe the Lord is speaking to some hearts that He wants to set free from fears and inhibitions so that you might worship with a freedom of expression that your spirit has been longing for, but you haven t felt confident to do so. To lift your hands to the Lord is to take the posture of a child reaching up to the outstretched arms of the Father. Also, the act of reaching up to one above me is a posture of humility which acknowledges that God, you are big, I am small, you are strong, I am weak. I need You. To lift your hands to the Lord is an expression indicating that you delight in Him. Lifting of the hands was a way of underscoring the seriousness and affirming the certainty of what you are declaring with your mouth. Lifting of our hands symbolizes thanksgiving and praise. When we lift up our hands to the Lord, it is symbolic of offering our life as a sacrifice to the Lord.

9 9 Similarly the upraised hands are the universal posture of surrender, surrendering our will to God. In the Bible, to lift your hands to the Lord also symbolized your dependence upon God, and was an expression of prayer. The lifting of our hands to the Lord is also the posture of an open, willing, receptive vessel, reaching to receive from the Lord. Lifting of the hands is to affirm agreement with what is being said. It is a form of saying amen. Copyright 2016 by Parkdale Grace Fellowship Permission: You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.