Jump Start # 981

1 Timothy 2:8 “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”

This passage came to mind recently. I was working on a slide for powerpoint. I wanted a picture of worship. I Googled the word “worship” and tons of pictures came up. The majority of them had people with their hands raised in the air. That got me to thinking about our hands in worship, especially during singing and praying. There was a time when we held song books in our hands while we sang. Now, with projecting the songs on a large screen, we seldom use song books. What are we to do with our hands? It’s like at a wedding and you see all the groomsmen up front, no one is sure what to do with their hands. I noticed the other day in worship, some holding babies, some couples holding hands, some with hands in pockets, some holding on to the pew in front of them. I didn’t see anyone lifting up their hands in the air. Typically we do not raise our hands during singing. There are occasions when we do read about lifting up hands in the Bible.

• Nehemiah 8:6 “Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”

• Psalms 141:2 “May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”

Whenever a subject like this is discussed, someone immediately will say, “Are you advocating raising hands?” About the same time, someone will suggest, “Is it wrong to raise our hands?” And of course, the other side is always presented, “Is it wrong if I do not raise my hands?” Or, more bluntly, “Do I have to raise my hands?”

We tend to bow our heads when we pray. There are probably more examples of people flat on the ground praying than bowing. Some in the Bible actually raised their faces to Heaven when they prayed. You don’t see that very much these days.

In our verse today, Paul wanted men to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands. Praying in every place. That would include the church house, our house, the court house, the school house, the White House, inside, outside, at the ballgame, during the concert, at work, in the break room, in the board room, in the restaurant, in the movie theatre, in the grocery store, on the road, in the car…I believe I am beginning to sound like Dr. Seuss. Everywhere. There is not a place that prayer does not belong nor does not fit. The lifting up of holy hands can be taken literal but there are some occasions when a person just can’t do that. Jesus couldn’t lift up His hands on the cross. They were nailed tight to the cross. Yet, He prayed. A person may have both hands on the wheel of a car and are in a very difficult situation and cannot lift up their hands. A person may have their hands full, or may be holding a child and cannot lift up their hands. The lifting up of holy hands refers to the reverence and attitude of prayer. A person is praying to God. Now, having said that, we often discount the lifting up of our hands. Can a person really do that? Why not? I do not find that it was a congregation edict, but rather a private matter between a soul and his God. Understand, lifting up hands does not make a prayer better, faster, or more genuine. The lifting up of holy hands does more for the person praying than for God. It reminds us that we are dependent upon God. It shows our allegiance to God. As a child holds out their hands for a parent, a disciple lifts up his hands to the God he loves and adores.

I find that topics like this cause some to hit the warning button. They fear. They fear what’s next. They fear because it is different than what we are used to. Our customs and traditions serve a wonderful purpose but sometimes they can trip us and stand in the way of a growing faith. Our traditions are just that, traditions. They ought to be based upon Bible ways but too often we can use our traditions as a point of judgment for someone who does things differently.

So, where does all of this go? What is the conclusion? What are you saying? Can a person pray with their hands in the air? Yes. Now, the person doing it needs to check his reasons for doing so. Is he trying to draw attention to himself? Wrong attitude. Is he just trying to be different or worse, a radical? Wrong attitude. Is it a crutch that he feels is necessary to talk to God? He can’t pray unless he raises his hands? Faith issue. Is it something that his heart leads him to do? Do it. Do it alone. Do it by yourself. Don’t think you are more spiritual because your hands are in the air. Don’t think you’ve found some secret key to being a strong Christian. You haven’t. It’s like bowing our heads and closing our eyes. Only way to pray? No. That’s not a good form to have when driving. You best keep your head up and your eyes on the road while driving. Are prayers better when our heads are bowed? No. Are our prayers better with our eyes closed? No. Are we more spiritual for doing that? No. It is a way to pray. It’s not the only way. Don’t make more of this than intended. What comes from our hearts and what we are saying to God is much more important than my posture, position and what I do with my hands. Prayer is a soul connecting with God. Prayer is thanking, seeking and asking God.

If I never in my entire life raise my hands in prayer, can I go to Heaven? Yes. Am I a better Christian because I do not raise my hands? No. Can I judge someone who is raising their hands as a radical? No. Let God take care of them and their heart. You focus upon your heart and your God.

I doubt when Paul wrote the words of our verse that he ever expected such an uproar over the expression, “lifting up holy hands.” Maybe our socks are on too tight! Maybe we are too engrained in our traditions. Maybe it is ok to take a breath and simply do what the Bible says.

What too often happens, is that we fuss too much about the lifting up of holy hands and we ignore all together the praying everywhere. Maybe there would be less of a fuss if we prayed about it while we discussed it.

God wants you praying. God wants you praying everywhere you are. The more we did that, the better we would be, with or without hands raised.

Roger