Raising hands in praise

[dmoban]

I am looking for thoughts or views on raising hands during praise.

I am 65 and was saved and baptised at 11. In the churches I have previously attended, we just sat still and listened. In the last church I attended, we did not even stand to sing. I moved and began attending a local church that has some pentecostal roots. I love the church. It is bible based and I feel like I am at a church that is alive and is full of joy and hope. I am a work in progress though. I study the bible daily and pray. I often raise my arms in prayer or praise at home. I am trying to look at myself and really practice introspection and reach out and feel the Holy Spirit. However, after so many years of churches that do not raise hands, I was more hesitant at church. I have been there 2 months and wanted to make sure i was raising my arms for the right reasons -not just to fit in. Sunday the pastor said that he knows who is raising hands and who is hot and if we are not doing so at church he knew that we were not glorifying the Lord during the week. Immediately, I fel judged. H6wever, the Bible does say to raise hands in praise. Thoughts?

 

[Derf]

I am looking for thoughts or views on raising hands during praise.

I am 65 and was saved and baptised at 11. In the churches I have previously attended, we just sat still and listened. In the last church I attended, we did not even stand to sing. I moved and began attending a local church that has some pentecostal roots. I love the church. It is bible based and I feel like I am at a church that is alive and is full of joy and hope. I am a work in progress though. I study the bible daily and pray. I often raise my arms in prayer or praise at home. I am trying to look at myself and really practice introspection and reach out and feel the Holy Spirit. However, after so many years of churches that do not raise hands, I was more hesitant at church. I have been there 2 months and wanted to make sure i was raising my arms for the right reasons -not just to fit in. Sunday the pastor said that he knows who is raising hands and who is hot and if we are not doing so at church he knew that we were not glorifying the Lord during the week. Immediately, I fel judged. H6wever, the Bible does say to raise hands in praise. Thoughts?

I've had some of these same questions, and my background is similar to yours, it sounds.

After attending Baptist churches most of my life, at about 40 our family started worshipping at a conservative Presbyterian church. Practically nobody raised hands during ant any part of the worship time...until the pastor read where men are supposed to be lifting holy hands in prayer, and so he started doing so and encouraging others to do so. I can't say the church was transformed, became more holy, or that the worship was more genuine, but I appreciated his willingness to step out of his comfort zone. Now we're back in a more baptistic church, and I will sometimes raise my hands in prayer. But I do feel conspicuous, and I don't want to be doing it in judgment of others or not do it to avoid scorn.

I can see why you feel judged by your pastor. I expect (hope?) his heart is in the right place, and he wants his congregation to worship visibly, and not just audibly, together. You might go talk to him and explain how you are feeling and tell him you want to understand his motives for such a statement.

Then see if he responds biblically, allowing you to worship along with, but not exactly the same as, others.

 

[tampasteve]

Wow, I personally would feel incredibly judged in that situation. Who is he to judge one's heart and one's passion for praise based on who is raising their arms? I have never felt comfortable raising my arms like that, but you can bet that I am praising the Lord all the same. With comments of judgement like that it makes one wonder who is raising their hands out of judgement or peer pressure rather than genuine praise.

 

[Godsunworthyservant]

I am looking for thoughts or views on raising hands during praise.

I am 65 and was saved and baptised at 11. In the churches I have previously attended, we just sat still and listened. In the last church I attended, we did not even stand to sing. I moved and began attending a local church that has some pentecostal roots. I love the church. It is bible based and I feel like I am at a church that is alive and is full of joy and hope. I am a work in progress though. I study the bible daily and pray. I often raise my arms in prayer or praise at home. I am trying to look at myself and really practice introspection and reach out and feel the Holy Spirit. However, after so many years of churches that do not raise hands, I was more hesitant at church. I have been there 2 months and wanted to make sure i was raising my arms for the right reasons -not just to fit in. Sunday the pastor said that he knows who is raising hands and who is hot and if we are not doing so at church he knew that we were not glorifying the Lord during the week. Immediately, I fel judged. H6wever, the Bible does say to raise hands in praise. Thoughts?

Well, that's a new one on me. Just goes to show, you learn something new every day. I've seen churches where they're big on hand raising but never heard a pastor who said that it was an indication of whether or not you were glorifying God in your daily life. I believe if I heard that, I would feel like I was being judged as well. That said, I wouldn't care because no pastor is my judge. I would most probably have a talk with him and try to explain that such correlations might be at the very least counterproductive to Christian unity. So, as to the actual act of raising ones hands in praise, since God never required it and Christ never spoke against it, I say, if you feel the desire to raise your hands in praise, then God will appreciate the motivation if not the actual act and if you don't then don't. It's not so much what we do in church but what we do with the other 90% of our time that determines if we are really serving God. So, I say if you feel moved of God to raise or clap your hands, stomp your feet, sing, shout or dance in praise, then do it, whether in church or the mall parking lot but just remember that we must back up our praise in the way we live our lives and do God's will every day.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Throw aside all your feelings and motivations one way or the other.
Do it because He SAID to do it. Obey.

Psalms 134:2 KJV
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.





“So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands” (Psalm 63:4).


“To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary” (Psalm 28:1).

“Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you” (Psalm 88:9).

“I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (Psalm 119:48).

“Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!” (Psalm 134:2).

“O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” (Psalm 141:1-2).

 

[jacks]

I can't see what possible difference it would make to the Lord whether you raised your hands or not. Do what is in your heart.

"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Another good one.
1 Timothy 2:8 KJV
8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

 

[tturt]

Regret when pastors make comments like that. Encourage you to guard your heart & continue to stay true to yourself and your relationship with the Lord.

There's plenty of Scriptures posted to support raising our hands in praising The Lord Just think folks shouldn't be pressured into it.

 

[th1bill]

I am looking for thoughts or views on raising hands during praise.

I am 65 and was saved and baptised at 11. In the churches I have previously attended, we just sat still and listened. In the last church I attended, we did not even stand to sing. I moved and began attending a local church that has some pentecostal roots. I love the church. It is bible based and I feel like I am at a church that is alive and is full of joy and hope. I am a work in progress though. I study the bible daily and pray. I often raise my arms in prayer or praise at home. I am trying to look at myself and really practice introspection and reach out and feel the Holy Spirit. However, after so many years of churches that do not raise hands, I was more hesitant at church. I have been there 2 months and wanted to make sure i was raising my arms for the right reasons -not just to fit in. Sunday the pastor said that he knows who is raising hands and who is hot and if we are not doing so at church he knew that we were not glorifying the Lord during the week. Immediately, I fel judged. H6wever, the Bible does say to raise hands in praise. Thoughts?

The Pastor, the Messenger/Angel has neither the right nor the wisdom to make that judgment. I am a Baptist who reaches upward for my God in Service. To reach out to Yahova or not is your decision and his bullying is not scriptural.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I am looking for thoughts or views on raising hands during praise.

I am 65 and was saved and baptised at 11. In the churches I have previously attended, we just sat still and listened. In the last church I attended, we did not even stand to sing. I moved and began attending a local church that has some pentecostal roots. I love the church. It is bible based and I feel like I am at a church that is alive and is full of joy and hope. I am a work in progress though. I study the bible daily and pray. I often raise my arms in prayer or praise at home. I am trying to look at myself and really practice introspection and reach out and feel the Holy Spirit. However, after so many years of churches that do not raise hands, I was more hesitant at church. I have been there 2 months and wanted to make sure i was raising my arms for the right reasons -not just to fit in. Sunday the pastor said that he knows who is raising hands and who is hot and if we are not doing so at church he knew that we were not glorifying the Lord during the week. Immediately, I fel judged. H6wever, the Bible does say to raise hands in praise. Thoughts?

If you raise your hands in personal worship at home, there is no one to impress except God. If you raise your heart along with your hands, God sees it and acknowledges that you are truly worshiping Him. When you do it at church, there is a problem because you can be influenced by what others think of you, and it is no surprise that you feel judged when you see others looking unapprovingly at you. So, to avoid conflict that can put you off worshiping God with your heart, it is better to keep your hands down and let your heart to the worshiping. I don't think that God is worried about whether you raise your hands in worship or not. But if you find yourself in a church where everyone is raising their hands in worship, then that conflict is not there and you can go ahead and raise your heart and your hands at the same time.

 

[dmoban]

Thank you to everyone for your comments and input. The pastor has said something to the whole congregation a couple times. What he said did feel somewhat judgmental. I spoke to him and he said that that was not his intent at all. I just don't think he realizes how it comes across. I've not had a congregation member approach me and say anything yet though. At first I decided that the church members are so embracing and I really feel the Holy Spirit there and I did not want to be part of anything divisive so I would raise my hands in order to participate. However, it then dawned on me that part of what made the church feel alive when I first visited is that people seemed excited to be there and part of that was because they were raising their hands. I am raising my hands sometimes but not all the time. I am not raising them just to raise them but I am raising them as part of a demonstration of the feeling that a song or something brings to me. I definitely do not want to ever put on a show.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I wonder.
If you walked into a bank that was being robbed and the robber pointed his gun at everyone and said "hands up." Who would not do it?
But if God says to raise our hands, we have to have a dialogue and check our feelings and if it is sincere or not. I think we should just obey. I know of no command in the scripture that is optional and dependent upon our feelings. Do we check our feelings when we are commanded: "Thou shalt not kill?" This is all about crucifying our flesh and renewing our minds. We are to love Him with all of our body, soul, and spirit. That means changing yourself to conform to His will. Just something to think about.

 

[Roderick Spode]

I am looking for thoughts or views on raising hands during praise.

I am 65 and was saved and baptised at 11. In the churches I have previously attended, we just sat still and listened. In the last church I attended, we did not even stand to sing. I moved and began attending a local church that has some pentecostal roots. I love the church. It is bible based and I feel like I am at a church that is alive and is full of joy and hope. I am a work in progress though. I study the bible daily and pray. I often raise my arms in prayer or praise at home. I am trying to look at myself and really practice introspection and reach out and feel the Holy Spirit. However, after so many years of churches that do not raise hands, I was more hesitant at church. I have been there 2 months and wanted to make sure i was raising my arms for the right reasons -not just to fit in. Sunday the pastor said that he knows who is raising hands and who is hot and if we are not doing so at church he knew that we were not glorifying the Lord during the week. Immediately, I fel judged. H6wever, the Bible does say to raise hands in praise. Thoughts?

I think there definitely is a connection between culture and denominations. I attended a (Interdenominational) Pentecostal church for a number of years, and had a difficult time adjusting to Pentecostal culture that was present. I was more used to the Presbyterian type church, but felt encouraged by the prophetic elements of the Pentecostal church.

I wouldn't feel that God was judging you. It may be an issue like Romans 14:5.

If the pastor thinks you're doing something really wrong, since the pastor states he knows who's not raising their hands, the pastor will confront you. If he doesn't, then chances are his statement was more along the lines of when pastors ask if the microphone needs turning up to hint that the congregation is not attentive enough.

I think it's part of Christian culture for pastors to make certain comments suggesting the congregation is not enthusiastic enough.

 

[markbrewer]

i think that was a ghastly thing for that man to say.

raise your hands as you see fit, or not. it's between you and God.

 

[markbrewer]

also note, the pastor is merely a man, mistake prone and opiniated as all of us are. forgive him and drive on.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I am uncertain of the history of the modern practice of hand lifting in praise.

In Scripture the Apostle St. Paul says that men should "lift up holy hands" in prayer. Paul isn't introducing some new practice, but is speaking of a common praying posture of the time, common among Jews (and thus also among the early Christians). It is a prayer posture known as the "orans position", and it is depicted frequently in ancient art and iconography:

As a normative position or posture for prayer it fell out of general use, but has been retained in traditional churches as part of traditional liturgical practice:

Outside of liturgical expressions, such as among those churches which have generally moved away from the traditional liturgy, either in part or completely, it may have ceased entirely.

But this really is just an historical, and very common posture for prayer which goes back to the time of the Apostles.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with any prayer posture--kneeling, folding the hands, eyes closed or eyes opened, hands pressed together, standing, prostrating, etc have all been different postures and gestures used for and during prayer at different times and different places. We tend to follow whatever prayer position is most common where we worship and how we grew up.

In the West, prayer while seated is pretty common, because we have seats (pews) built into our church designs. But traditionally, and still today in most of the Eastern churches, there are no seats--the entire service is done without seating. So the people are either standing, kneeling, or prostrating depending on what's going on in the service.

So while, again, I'm not aware of the modern history of hand-lifting that has become common in Charismatic/Pentecostal and Evangelical churches; the posture as a position of prayer goes back to the original practices of the Christian Church.

With that said, while good church decorum means we don't draw attention to ourselves; there really isn't any place for judgment on something like this.

Apart from when pastor offers a blessing, such as at the final benediction at the end of the service, the orans position isn't seen at my church; whether during prayer or during the singing of hymns. However, if someone did do it, there'd be no problem, that kind of judgmentalism isn't welcome at the church I am part of. For the same reason, as an example, while most of the congregation makes the sign of the cross at different times of the service (another very old, historically Christian practice), nobody is going to say anything, give you a funny look, or judge you if you don't. These sorts of things are extremely trivial. And judging others based on such trivial matters like this is un-Christian and spiritually harmful. We are all coming to celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has given us, to hear the word, celebrate His Supper, and to give Him thanks for His wonderful gifts and grace. There's no room for judgmentalism, no room for self-promotion, no place for our own selfishness and pettiness.

This is Christ's House when and where we gather, and He is always Head at the Table.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[markbrewer]

there are also people who believe you should stand on your head for Jesus. far be it from me to forbid.

 

[Stephen3141]

(I would just not allow dancing naked before God, as David did, as he celebrated
the goodness of God. I think that THAT would be a bit beyond what most
Christians could handle.)