I didn’t grow up with hand raising during the worship service at church. I have been around people that raise their hands while singing, and it never bothered me or anything like that, but I just have never felt like doing it myself.
We go to a small, family integrated church where we sing mostly hymns so I am not used to having a full blown band like they had at The Declare Conference after the evening meal. I enjoyed the music, but didn’t know any of the songs they were playing. It is much more difficult to meditate on the words of a song and sing them to God when you don’t know the song, at least for me it is.
So as I was blundering through the songs, the Tim Hawkins clip on Hand Raising involuntarily came to mind:
I could just hear Tim as I saw the first hand go up.
I couldn’t help but try to name the hand raisings.
Then all of the sudden everyone’s hands were in the air.I had to laugh, but I reigned myself back in and concentrated on the words to the songs and soon forgot about Tim Hawkins and the hand raising.
Then the band played “In Christ Alone.” It was the first song I recognized, and it’s one of my favorites. Finally, I could sing from my heart, and if I were a hand raiser that would have been the song!
So that’s how Tim Hawkins impeded my worship time at Declare, just for a little while though! It is great being around so many Christian women, and I love that we are not all the same! I enjoyed the first evening of The Declare Conference very much! More on the conference coming soon. 🙂
HA!! I agree Esther. I love the Tim Hawkins bit about hand raising “101”. 🙂 We saw him perform live about a year and a half ago. It was great. Every once in a while my kids and I will give each other this look during some of the P & W choruses and pretend to “carry the TV”. 🙂
I didn’t grow up with hand raising either.
However, I tried it and, all I can say is WOW!
The presence of God came over me in such a powerful
way all I could do was weep for joy.
Remember in the old Testament when Moses held up his
hands and, the children of Israel prevailed? If is
hands dropped they would begin to lose? So the men
helped him hold his hands up until the victory came?
Exodus 17:12
Try it at home. Put on your favorite worship CD. 🙂
I liken it much like a baby raising its hands to be
picked up. That is my vision, when I raise my hands.
It was a delight to meet you Esther and I recognize my hand in your picture! Raising hands for me is definitely part of my worship to God, as an expression of my adoration to Him and as a physical demonstration of a posture of a total surrender of my heart. And while it is never a requirement for worship, I’ve found it as a tool to help me remove distractions and focus completely on Him as a practice of giving my whole heart to magnify Him and all He has done for me…an expression of love from my heart to the One who rescued, redeemed, and restored even me.
Betty and Jacque, Thank you for your kind words! Although I have never raised my hands as a part of corporate worship, I do understand that it is part of worship for many, and I love what you said Jacque, “Raising hands for me is definitely part of my worship to God, as an expression of my adoration to Him and as a physical demonstration of a posture of a total surrender of my heart.” I thoroughly enjoyed the worship even though it’s not what I’m used to. I just had to get Tim Hawkins out of my head! 🙂