12.31 Lifting up holy hands in worship

Lifting up of hands is an expression of surrender and worship to the Lord. When we walk with God and our lives are surrendered to Him, we will find ourselves worshipping God with hands lifted up.

(Ps 134:2)
LIFT UP YOUR HANDS in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord.

(Ps 141:2)
Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS as the evening sacrifice.

Lifting up of hands is also the posture of faith to receive a miracle from God. Frequently, when we have surrendered to God in worship, we will also find ourselves praying in the midst of worship with hands lifted up to receive.

(Ps 28:2)
Hear the voice of my SUPPLICATIONS
When I cry to You,
When I LIFT UP MY HANDS toward Your holy sanctuary.

(1 Tim 2:8)
I desire therefore that the men PRAY everywhere, LIFTING UP HOLY HANDS…

When Joshua led Israel to battle against the Amalekites, the victory was won not on the battleground but on the mountain where Moses lifted up his hands in prayer.

(Ex 17:11-13)
And so it was, when Moses HELD UP his hand, that ISRAEL PREVAILED; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 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. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

It was strange that when Moses’ hands came down, the enemies prevailed. But when Aaron and Hur supported his hands, Joshua defeated the enemies. I do not think that we should make a formula or ritual of this. Rather, the lesson is that we should position ourselves with a posture of faith to receive the promises of God.