Raising Hands in Church

It's never been a part of the practice or tradition in any of the churches I've attended. I have no criticism of the practice, but I'm curious about the meaning and importance of this to those who do it so I'm signing on to this thread to learn.

1 Timothy 2:8
I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;

To NOT lift hands is a violation of this scripture.

Our church setting is in a hotel conference room, so lifting up your hands while sitting would be a little awkward imo.

Dave-W said:

1 Timothy 2:8
I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;

To NOT lift hands is a violation of this scripture.

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You talk as though that is a dogma or a commandment. Its neither.

Dave-W said:

1 Timothy 2:8
I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;

To NOT lift hands is a violation of this scripture.

Click to expand...

Matthew 6:5-6
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Whether praying alone at home or in a gathering, I regularly lift my hands to my Lord and King as an act of love and worship.
To me its no different to my children 40 years ago lifting their hands to me or my wife.

I am more concerned for those who are too self conscious to lift their hands. Its like they are embarrassed to be seen showing any joy or affection in their relationship with the Lord.
Many people are so bound up with church formalism that they cannot imagine what freedom in the Holy Spirit looks like.

I suspect when they meet the Lord they will make an awkward bow and stick their hand out, "How do you do sir!"

Lost4words said:

Matthew 6:5-6
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

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This has nothing to do with lifting hands does it.

Everyone worships/prays different. Theres no right or wrong way. And in the end its not like Gods going to say "Sorry, I can't let you into heaven. You didn't raise your hands!"

Francis Drake said:

This has nothing to do with lifting hands does it.

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Yes it does.

The hypocrits would stand on street corners making sure everyone could see them praying.

In todays 'modern' churches we have people competing to see who can lift their hands higher, shout the loudest, roll around the floor the most, to show people how much they are worshipping / 'praying' to God.

There is no real need to do so. Prayer comes from inward acts not outward signs.

The 'happy clappy' type churches just look so irreverent etc.

Francis Drake said:

Whether praying alone at home or in a gathering, I regularly lift my hands to my Lord and King as an act of love and worship.
To me its no different to my children 40 years ago lifting their hands to me or my wife.

I am more concerned for those who are too self conscious to lift their hands. Its like they are embarrassed to be seen showing any joy or affection in their relationship with the Lord.

Click to expand...

No one is forbidding the practice of lifting ones hands, you know. Its just that the idea that this is a command that must be followed is not credible.

By the way, how many people who are not too self-conscious to lift their hands ARE too self-conscious to KNEEL in church? Plenty, it seems. There are over 30 Bible verses that speak of the appropriateness of that posture, more than speak of lifting hands.

Lost4words said:

Yes it does.

The hypocrits would stand on street corners making sure everyone could see them praying.

In todays 'modern' churches we have people competing to see who can lift their hands higher, shout the loudest, roll around the floor the most, to show people how much they are worshipping / 'praying' to God.

There is no real need to do so. Prayer comes from inward acts not outward signs.

The 'happy clappy' type churches just look so irreverent etc.

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Do you have evidence that those people our Lord was criticizing were raising hands?

Albion said:

how many people who are not too self-conscious to lift their hands ARE too self-conscious to KNEEL in church? Plenty, it seems. There are over 30 Bible verses that speak of the appropriateness of that posture, more than speak of lifting hands.

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Absolutely. Or prostrating themselves face down?

Francis Drake said:

Whether praying alone at home or in a gathering, I regularly lift my hands to my Lord and King as an act of love and worship.
To me its no different to my children 40 years ago lifting their hands to me or my wife.

I am more concerned for those who are too self conscious to lift their hands. Its like they are embarrassed to be seen showing any joy or affection in their relationship with the Lord.
Many people are so bound up with church formalism that they cannot imagine what freedom in the Holy Spirit looks like.

I suspect when they meet the Lord they will make an awkward bow and stick their hand out, "How do you do sir!"

Click to expand...

I’ve spent many years in charismatic and Pentecostal churches where this practice is common, and yes I’ve done it myself in an effort to find that intimacy we all seek. However I would have to agree with those who suggest there is a strong element of showmanship with this type of worship, especially as the focus begins to centre on us rather than Christ.

I would have been the first to criticise the church I now belong to as being stiff and formal at one time, but now I can truly say that every week in communion I experience a level of intimacy with God that I never experienced once in my whole time as a charismatic. To meet Christ where He has promised to be, namely through His Word and sacrament received in faith, is to find true intimacy in worship every time, whether we “feel” it or not.

With that said though, I think when a Christian believer’s posture genuinely reflects the humble attitude of heart required in our worship, then it is a good thing. That could be anything from kneeling, to raising hands, from signing the cross to giving a sound “Amen” to the preached Word.

There are 7 Hebrew words that translate to our word praise. All are associated with a form of action as well as sound. 1 of them is Yadah.

Yadah - means to show reverence or praise with extended hands. Root word means to shoot an arrow or throw a rock, expressing reaching out beyond yourself instead of holding it in.

The visual representation might be a small child who wants to be picked up. They extend their hands high above their heads as a sign of surrender and a desire to be held.

(Psalm 45:5, 2 Chron 7)

"Towdah" is silimar to yadah but a different flavor. It means to show agreement by extending the right hand. The closest thing we have to it in our society is a handshake. It is usually associated with sacrifice, specifically, things given up to show thankfulness to God. So it is a sacrificial expression of agreement and thankfulness.

(Psalm 50:23)

Francis Drake said:

I am more concerned for those who are too self conscious to lift their hands. Its like they are embarrassed to be seen showing any joy or affection in their relationship with the Lord

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I never did it back in my evangelical days. I didn’t find it dignified, personally.

I regret nothing.

NothingIsImpossible said:

Everyone worships/prays different. Theres no right or wrong way. And in the end its not like Gods going to say "Sorry, I can't let you into heaven. You didn't raise your hands!"

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I agree,lots of people at my church lift up their hands,when we sing the workship songs.