I thought we could study this topic before responding to the poll, therefore, I am not going to open the poll portion of this topic until Sunday, July 7th.

I have always wondered about people lifting up their hands during certain songs being played or sang during church, or during prayer. This study is meant to understand the meaning of this from both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. Since I have not done a study on this subject I am neither for or against this but would like for us to study this subject prayerfully.

I have posted a few verses on lifting up your hands. What do these verses say to you?

Psalms 28:2
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

Psalms 63:4
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

Psalms 119:48
My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

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

Lamentations 3:41
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

[ June 30, 2002, 03:15 PM: Message edited by: Avalee ]

It sounds like lifting up our hands and hearts to God in worship is acceptable to God, therefore, it should also be acceptable in His church.

If that is true, then why are we inhibited in doing so ourselves?

Better still, if that is true, then why do we also seem to frown on those who do lift up their hands in worship in our churches?

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I just can't stand spelling errors.

[ July 01, 2002, 11:35 AM: Message edited by: Daryl Fawcett ]

In Pauls letter to Timothy:

1 Tim 2:8

Therefore I desire that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

What should be the reason for doing this?

The only reason for doing this has to be for worshipping God. This is what I would like to find out. With all these verses in the Bible about doing this why is it that there are not more that do it. I will not just raise up my hand(s) in church because others are doing it or I would NOT stop from raising up my hand(s) if I felt that is what I should be doing. When I see it being done I do not have any negative feelings about it. I think what am I missing here? Am I missing out on a closer relationship with Jesus?

What does this verse mean?

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

How plain can it be? This says lift up your hands in the sanctuary. So how come I do not feel like doing it? Am I soppose to wait for a feeling to do it?

I can remember when I first joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church back in 1980 I over heard this older lady remark in a negitive way about someone who upon coming into the sanctuary and getting their seat they kneeled and prayed. This woman said "how Catholic". I thought then not negitive towards the person playing but towards the person remarking on this. As with the raising of hands you do not see very many people doing that also.

Are we, as Seventh-day Adventists, afraid to do some of these "things" that could very well be Biblical, but since "other churches" do them in certain other ways we think it would be wrong?

Raising hands in worship is not a command or requirement. Therefore, it must be related to custom, culture and creature. For myself there are times when I feel compelled (by the Spirit of God) to sit and say Amen, or to sit and raise my hands, or to stand and declare the glory of the Lord (the one time I did this I stood during a very moving sermon in church and proclaimed (much to my own surprise), "The Lord our God reigns, and He is forever worthy of our praise." Afterwards, I was so surprised that I did it.

Avalee,
Maybe it is just the stigma associated with the hand lifting....Holy Roller/tongues speaking/shouting/clapping/healing/fainting style of worship, perhaps feeling we will be classed as a Pentecostal church worshiping on Sabbath instead of Sunday. Maybe we feel like we don't have Holy Hands. ????

Testimonies for the Church Volume Five--- 410
"The Holy Spirit illumines our darkness, informs our ignorance, and understands and helps us in our manifold necessities. But the mind must be constantly going out after God. If coldness and worldliness are allowed to come in, we shall
have no heart to pray, no courage to look up to Him who is the source of strength and wisdom. Then pray always, dear brethren and sisters, "lifting up holy hands, without wrath
and doubting." Urge your requests to the throne of grace, and rely upon God hour by hour and moment by moment. The service of Christ will regulate all your relations with your fellow men and make your life fruitful in good works."

Testimonies for the Church Volume Seven

Acceptable Service

-PG- 42

And yet, in this time of fearful peril, some who profess to be Christians have no family worship. They do not honor God in the home; they do not teach their children to love and fear Him. Many have separated themselves so far from Him that they feel under condemnation in approaching Him. They cannot "come boldly unto the throne of grace," "lifting up holy hands, without wrath
and doubting." Hebrews 4:16; 1 Timothy 2:8. They
have not a living connection with God. Theirs is a form of godliness without the power."

[ July 03, 2002, 03:54 PM: Message edited by: Charlene Van Hook ]