Raise Your Hand

This was a random thought that I pursued in a rambling fashion

I was thinking today about "raising your hand". Sometimes we do it tentatively with our hands about shoulder level. Sometimes we just raise a finger. Then sometimes we throw our hand in the air as high as we can. It depends on the situation.

Then I thought about raising your hand in worship (while singing) at church. I know some people who are comfortable doing this, and some people who are not comfortable. Some think it too 'charasmatic' or emotional and just don't do it (especially if you grew up in a church where it wasn't commonly done). But really---why don't we feel comfortable raising our hands at church? (oops--did i just put myself in that category?)

Outside of church, why do we raise our hands? As children, we raise our hands to answer a question, to ask a question, or to volunteer for something; but mainly to get someone's attention. As we get older there is not as much need to raise our hand: perhaps to volunteer to do something, to get the attention of a group of people, to associate yourself with something ("how many people here are under age 30?"), to reach for something.....ah......that's something to consider.

Some people still view raising your hand as an attention-getting device and don't want to draw attention to themselves (which is valid since we want the attention to be on God--not us). (I hate to say it, but some people do raise their hands for this reason---remember the Pharisees?) Maybe some people are afraid that if they raise their hand they are volunteering for something. If you think of raising your hand as associating yourself with something, it might not be bad to raise your hands in worship along with those around you. Now, about raising your hand to reach for something----that just occurred to me as I was writing. Are we reaching for God when we raise our hands during singing? I don't know if that is what people are doing, but we don't have to physically reach out to "get God". (Though sometimes He asks us to reach out or step out in faith and obedience to Him.)

I think when people raise their hands while singing to God, it is symbolic. They are saying "God, this is my offering of worship to You." Or, "I lift my hands because I am giving my whole self to you---everything that I am, that I have, and that I will ever be." Or they lift their hands because the words of the song resonate within their heart. And there are probably some other reasons I can't think of right now.

All that said, I do not criticize those who do or do not raise their hands. Nor do I believe people should be forced to raise their hands, either by peer pressure or by the direction of a worship leader who is trying get people to "feel" a certain way (I have seen this happen). Most people that I see raising their hands in church do so as a selfless act of worship.

I am one of those who did not grow up in a church where everyone raised their hands, but I have grown accustomed to it and now feel comfortable with people doing so. I have even done it myself occasionally, though not often. Why not?? Well, it's kind of difficult to raise even one hand when you are the church pianist----but sometimes I have wanted to :-)

>>>>My son just raised his hands for me to pick him up. I often feel like doing the same with my Father.