Deeper in Worshipਨਮੂਨਾ

Day 18—Worship includes standing and lifting hands

Devotional

If you’ve ever been to a live sporting event or seen one on screen where national teams are being represented, the singing of national anthems is often a spine-tingling moment. The voices of the players and the fans rising as one is incredibly moving, but what makes the image far more striking is seeing the entire stadium standing together with their arms in the air. It’s hard to imagine this moment with people sitting down with their hands at their sides. That is because it isn’t just words being sung that declare their identity and pride. To stand is a sign of respect; it shows activity and intentionality. It is a declaration that you are all in! And the raising of hands has, throughout time, been a signal of surrender or request. It either says "I’m giving myself up" or "I’m open to receive what you have." It's not surprising, then, that both of these physical actions are important parts of your worship. To stand and lift your hands in worship, even before a word has been sung, communicates to anyone else who might be around, but also to your heart, that you are all in. You are surrendered and also ready to receive. There is probably no better posture than to stand before God and declare, "God, I am totally yours. I am surrendered to you, and I am ready to receive whatever you have for me."

Prayer
God, I lift my hands to You. I am fully surrendered to You, and I am ready to receive. Amen.

Application
Put on a song of worship and then stand and lift your hands. Stand as a sign that you are engaged, lift your hands in surrender to God again, and be ready to receive.

Sam Johnson