Raising you hands in worship

We lift up our hands in worship because that's what God said to do. Psalm 134, 119, among other scriptures. You don't have to worship with music, though that, too, is celebrated in the Psalms.

We worship - either with song, by lifting hands, or by living our lives right - because He is God. Even if He were to do nothing for us, give us nothing but pain and hardship, He would deserve our worship, because of who He is. How much more He deserves because of all the wonderful gifts He has given us!!

Forgive me if I misunderstand, but it sounds like you might thing worship is not necessary? If you love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, you will automatically worship Him. It is the only response available, if you truly love Jesus.

There are millions of Christians who do not raise their hands. But I find that there are times God asks me to, and I just do it out of trust. I don't do it when a worship leader says, "come on now everybody, raise your hands." The stubbornness in me comes out.


It is just about as publicly embarrassing as kneeling, but kneeling is considered more old-fashioned and hand-raising more contemporary. In some circles, that is.

Look up the words for worship:

Search Results - Worship - Hebrew Lexicon

(Click the number links on the page)

heron said:

There are millions of Christians who do not raise their hands. But I find that there are times God asks me to, and I just do it out of trust. I don't do it when a worship leader says, "come on now everybody, raise your hands." The stubbornness in me comes out.


It is just about as publicly embarrassing as kneeling, but kneeling is considered more old-fashioned and hand-raising more contemporary. In some circles, that is.

Look up the words for worship:

Search Results - Worship - Hebrew Lexicon

(Click the number links on the page)

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Why does it embarrass you to kneel in public? Jut curious.
I love lifting my hands in worship. I don't care if no one else is doing it. It shouldn't matter what others think. I lose myself in worship, and it's then that I feel God's presence more strongly.

I raise my hands when they are free xD I usually play in my church and youth bands, so I tend to worship god with my guitar and the music I make from it. But if im not playing guitar Ill raise my hands. Just the other day I was walking through the shops with some of my church friends, and we just stopped and put our hands up to good, and praised him! We got the strangest looks, but one lady actually asked what we were doing, she might be coming to our church next week

While worship is not a requirement to be saved it is a natural response. When you love someone a family member, friend or significant other you tell them you love them, you compliment them. Worshiping is doing the same thing to God only He is worthy of more than the occasional compliment.

Being raised in a conservative Christian Reformed Church, AOG and other Pentecostal gatherings were a shock. But as I got more comfortable it became easier to express my worship with the physical movement of raising my hands.

The thing to remember is God knows your heart. He knows what you are comfortable with and what He is asking of you at this moment.

But worship IS required. EVERY knee will bow, and EVERY tongue confess. Giving God what He is due - worship - is something everyone will do eventually. Whether we love Him or not, when we are confronted with the reality of God, worship will automatically take place.

Welcome

To answer your question must you do these things to be saved ... no. The only requirement for salvation is to believe in Jesus ... that He is the Son of God and that he is the Way. All the rest of it comes through the Holy Spirit leading, guiding and directing you.

I think loving Him in a way is a form of worship. It must please Him immensely when we take time to tell Him we love Him. To let Him know He is the One our heart desires.

I was studying the list below and the one that stuck out at me is the last one. Silence. I can tell you when I'm sitting in the top of a clearcut somewhere looking out over God's creation, it can have a silencing affect ... seriously, how do you put that in words ... in my mind I would think the silence of being in awe would be worship.

One of my favorite verses in the bible is Hosea 6:6. I think more than any other verse it shows us God's nature and the simplicity of His desire from us. It reads ... "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offering." This says to me aside from all else He just wants us to know Him and love Him.

I agree with Elisha1961 in that God knows your heart. I'm a person who finds outward displays of emotion very uncomfortable ... yet in the last few years I've noticed more and more the desire to just throw my arms up in the air at church during worship ... and a few times I've done it at home alone. I don't question it anymore ... either you feel it or you don't ... if I didn't feel it, it would seem like a lie to me to pretend I did. jmo

While meditating on how to answer this question I ran across this. Thought it might be helpful. May you be blessed.

Biblical Forms of Worship

Using the voice (Psalm 35:18, 27; 40:16; 70:4; Ephesians 5:19; Revelation 19:1)

Lifting a shout (Psalm 5:11; 32:11; 35:27; 47:1; 71:23; 81:1; 95:1-2; 98:6; 132:9; 132:16)

Loud noise (Psalm 98:4)

Lifting the hands (Leviticus 9:22; I Kings 8:22, 38, 54; Psalm 28:2; 63:4; 119:48; 134:2; 143:6; )

Clapping (Psalm 47:1; 98:8; Isaiah 55:12)

Dancing (Exodus 15:20; 2 Samuel 6:14; Psalm 30:11; 149:3; 150:4; Ecclesiastes 3:4; Jeremiah 31:4,13)

Processions (Psalm 68:24-27)

Twirling and leaping (2 Samuel 6:16; Acts 3:8)

Standing (1 Chronicles 23:30; 2 Chronicles 20:19; 29:26; Nehemiah 9:5; Psalm 28:7; 134:1; 135:2, 3)

Bowing and kneeling (Psalm 5:7; 45:11; 95:6; Ephesians 3:14; Philippians 2:10; Revelation 4:10; 5:8, 14; 7:11; 11:16; 19:4)

Singing (2 Chronicles 23:18; Psalm 47:6; 96:1-2; 98:4; Matthew 26:30; Acts 16:25; Romans 15:9; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13)

Psalms (The Written Word) (I Chronicles 16:7, 9; Psalms 95:2; 105:2; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13)

Hymns (Sound theological tradition and composition in song) (Matthew 26:30; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16)

Spiritual Songs (Spontaneous songs of the spirit to the Lord whether in a person’s language or in other “tongues”) (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; I Corinthians 14:15)

Singing with other tongues (Spiritual songs in the spirit) (1 Corinthians 14:15)

New Songs (new, inspired, timely compositions in song)(Psalm 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Revelation 5:9)

Song of the Lord (Prophetic song of the Lord to His people) (2 Chronicles 29:27; Zephaniah 3:17; Hebrews 2:12)

Playing musical instruments (1 Chronicles 23:5; Psalm 150:3-5; Revelation 5:8, 14:2; 15:2)

Blowing trumpets or shofars (Psalm 98:6; 150:3)

Banners (Psalm 20:5-9; 60:4-5; Song of Solomon 6:4, 10; Isaiah 31:8-9; 59:19; Zechariah 9:9-16; John 12:32)

Silence (Usually associated with awe of imminent judgment) (Habakkuk 2:20)

I raise my hands in worship because its a way for me to physically express my love for God. But its only one in thousands to do that. While I'd not say worship is required to be saved, I would approach this from a different point of view and say that anyone who is saved does worship God. For example, when we do our work to the Lord its an act of worship. When we thank God for doing soming for us its worship. When we say Jesus is Lord its worship.

dayhiker

I'm in agreement with all of these answers. How can we NOT worship our precious Savior???

James 1:27 said:

I'm in agreement with all of these answers. How can we NOT worship our precious Savior???

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In agreement with James1:27 and all the other replies.

Great reply Lilmiss, especially to include that raised hands are not required for salvation.

Raised hands is in worship is another demention of faith that adds more than the customary lip service that most men offer up to God. Raising hand shows a deeper sacrifice and commitment to a Heavenly Father. Lifted hands also represents needing a savior.

Scriptures declare:Psa 134:2Lift up your hands [in] the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
Psa 63:4Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
Psa 141:2Let my prayer be set forth before thee [as] incense; [and] the lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice.



Psa 88:9Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

Psa 143:6I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul [thirsteth] after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

followerofchrist86 said:

What's the point of raising your hands in worship. Also, is it necessary to worship God through music and raising your hands to be saved? Because the bible says, love the Lord with all your heart and soul..., does that include worship?

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I think it does depend upon the person. I work with a guy who is so mono-tone and calm that I don't think I would see very much excitment even if the roof caved in. Whether that is his personality or some dysfunctional issue I can't tell. But we come as we are to The Lord.
As the one Christian song says we love God from the inside out. Meaning with our whole being. Our deepest affection and loyalty. Our passion , our zeal and excitment. We are to hold nothing back. But sometimes that is a process to bring that out of us.
One of the strengthes of the Pentecostal liturgy is that it is structured in a way to encourage us to express ourselves fully in worship. To take away our inhibitions and express our love and passion to God.
The roots of the Pentecostal Movement were people who were so moved upon by the Spirit of God that the love that was on the inside was expressed in radical ways. This accompanied by signs and wonders performed by the Spirit of God created a contagious atmosphere of excitment.
The problem in our time is that sometimes people have substituted the outward. I have been in Pentecostal Churches where several people admited that they have felt no emotion in decades. totally numb. Depressed , just going through the motions. They raised their hands and went through all the outward things associated with being full of the Sprit but walked away empty.
But I have also been in Pentecostal churches where The Spirit came and set people free to worship with abandon. We raised our hands as part of expressing ourselves to God.
One analogy to point out. If I invite my friends over to celebrate my birthday and they all sit around with their hands in their pockets not even saying much, meditating to themselves how much they like me, it would not be much of a party. Pull out the noisemakers , blow the shofar, play some music. Let's celebrate....
Somewhere along the path, we need to worship God loudly and with waving banners and shouts , etc. When I say we, I mean as a group. God wants all of His worship , not just some.