A Story of Lifting Hands to Heaven

I often hear discussions about raising hands to the Lord, most often in the context of worship. Some are enthusiastic hand raisers; others are not. Some are even a little skeptical of those who lift their hands.

Full disclosure: I am a hand raiser, and there’s a reason for that. As leaders, it is appropriate to teach what God has said about lifting hands. So among other passages, there is this famous story.

God’s people are out of Egypt and on to the promised land. Then the Amelekites attack. You remember what happens next.

Moses holds up his hands, and the Israelites, led by Joshua, win. When he lowers his hands, they lose. When his hands get tired, Aaron and Hur hold his hands up. The Israelites overcome their enemies.

There are so many great lessons here. It takes leaders and soldiers. There is so much to teach from Aaron and Hur.

They win when Moses holds up his hands. Symbolic of prayer? Worship? Acknowledgment of where the power comes from? And what does that have to do with us?

Here’s the rest of the story in Exod. 17. After the battle, Moses builds an alter called The Lord Is My Banner, because hands were lifted up to the throne of God.

That is one reason I am a hand lifter. I lift my hands to the throne of God because he is my banner. I lift hands when praying, when singing, and in support.

I get that it is a different experience than many Christians are used to. But it is there, not as a command but as a reason to do it. You don’t have to, but maybe you should want to. And then just do it to acknowledge and praise the one who is our commander sitting on the throne.