Psalm 134:1-2 (NIV)
Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.
Do you go to a “hand-raising” church? Christian comedian Tim Hawkins does a hilarious bit in his routine about various “forms” of hand-raising in a church worship service and they progress like this:
- Hands in pockets and flap the elbows
- “Carry the tv” is next (picture that – very subtle)
- “Big screen tv” (a little wider)
- “My fish was this big” is next
- “Hold my baby” hands extended out front, palms up
- “Dueling lightbulbs” is next (palms up, twisting at the wrist)
- “Goal posts” (self-explanatory?)
- “Heartburn” (one hand tapping heart)
- ““Wash the window”
Pretty funny stuff, right? Setting aside the humor, in this last of the Psalms of Ascent we find not a suggestion, but a command, to lift up your hands in the sanctuary. For years I refused to do that. I thought it was “weird” and a bit “showy,” and I certainly did not want to bring attention to myself, but there was something inside my spirit that really wanted to, anyway. The lifting of the hands was not only the common posture of prayer among the ancient Hebrews; it was especially appropriate for praise. It displayed the anticipation of gratefully receiving from God, and the sense of surrender to Him. “The lifting up of the hands was a gesture in prayer, it was an intimation of their expectation of receiving blessings from the Lord, and it was also an acknowledgment of their having received the same” (Pierce, cited in Spurgeon).
People worship—and pray—in various “styles,” but we should always have a soul posture of worship, adoration, surrender and submission. We may say it’s “weird” and “uncomfortable,” but perhaps those of us who are not hand-raisers should examine our hearts to see if there might be a reason there beyond personal style. As Americans, we don’t like to surrender and as fallen humans, we certainly don’t like to submit, so perhaps this physical “exercise,” be it when we pray of when we praise, would be a good spiritual discipline on occasion just as a reminder of who He is, and who we are not. In addition, it just might be a little dose of humble pie for those of us who struggle with our pride.
