Raising holy hands in worship is a somewhat controversial topic. Some say raised hands indicate a particular flavor of theology. Some say raised hands are necessary for true worship. Others say the quality of our worship is not based on body stance at all. Who’s correct? Why raise holy hands in worship?
History of Raising Hands
“GOD, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing! Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers” (Psalm 141:1-2 MSG).
The Bible indicates in many scriptures that the history of raising holy hands in worship is long and rich. From far back in the Old Testament, raising hands was a sign of worship and prayer. Lifting hands in the Bible appears so often it is just assumed prayer is taking place without saying so. To lift hands to God has always meant coming to Him for help.
There is a long tradition among Christians of raising holy hands. A Christian sarcophagus carving dating back to the 3rd Century illustrates a person with hands lifted in prayer. Even the Jewish people followed the practice until Christianity began to mushroom. Ancient Jewish writers note that raising hands in prayer was stopped in the synagogue in reaction to the common practice among Christians. They sought to put distance between the two traditions.
In more modern times, there is also a history of lifting hands up in worship. It is a decades old tradition among Pentecostals. Most traditional Protestants and Evangelicals don’t have a long history of raising hands in worship, but the practice is growing in many denominations.
For a comical look at this topic, watch comedian Tim Hawkins on raising holy hands in worship.
Interpretation of Raising Hands
“Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing” (1 Tomithy 2:8).
Many images come to my mind when I think of the posture of standing with arms raised up high.
- When crossing a finish line, athletes around the world raise their hands up in a V for victory, eyes raised up. This phenomenon is also found among blind athletes!
- A little child who may not have much language stands at her mommy’s feet, arms and face raised up. This universal posture speaks to us of humility, need, and reliance on someone more powerful than they.
- Christ on the cross took a posture exactly like a victor crossing the finish line. The image of Christ we see on modern crucifixes illustrates Christ’s arms at a right angle to his body. This posture would have been impossible for any person. The weight of the body would be too great for the shoulders to hold up, and the person would sink down until the arms were in a V position. Christ illustrated this when he said just before giving up his spirit, “It is finished.”
Our hands are central to our beings. They represent us, we use them to speak. As we release them upward in worship, it is common to feel a corresponding release of our spirit to God.
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Psychology of Raising Hands
Amy Cuddy gave a speech that is the second most watched Ted Talk on the power of stance. She is a social psychologist and spoke about how our posture changes how we feel. They tested subjects to determine what happened to a person’s hormones before and after taking a particular pose.
One pose is a low power pose: slouching, arms crossed, head down. And the other pose was a high power pose: arms up and wide, chin tilted up. She measured two hormones: testosterone (high levels indicate feelings of power), and cortisol (high levels indicate feelings of stress).
They tested the hormone levels first, then had the subjects hold their pose for 2 minutes. Finally, they tested the hormone levels again. What they found was astonishing.
- The subjects who held the low power stance had 20% less testosterone and 15% more cortisol after the two minutes. Just by holding a stance, they felt less powerful and more stressed.
- The subjects who held the high power pose had 20% more testosterone and 25% less cortisol after the two minutes. By holding their stance, they felt more powerful and less stressed.
Some may say this is secular research, and doesn’t apply to Christianity. But if the science is sound, secular scientists are actually confirming how God wired us to feel different just because we stand with arms raised. It turns out our Creator wired us to feel better when we worship him with our stance.
Why Raise Holy Hands in Worship?
God is so amazing. His most important commandment states we should love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we come to him with humble hearts, yielded soul, mindful of his truths, and a stance that illustrates our need of him, we can truly embody this incredible command.
Don’t you find it interesting that the same body position could mean power, success, victory and also need, humility and submission? When we submit to God with raised hands, even without saying words, He provides the power and peace we are looking for by designing our bodies to change the mix of our hormones just because our arms are raised. For more information, read this Lifeway article on prayer postures.
“I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands (Psalm 63:4).
…because U count, deb
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If you want to raise your hands during worship do so.