Lift Up Holy Hands

DEVOTION

PSALMS

LIFT UP HOLY HANDS

Ps 134

134:1 A song of ascents.

Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. 3 May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

NIV

The fifteenth and last song of ascent for the last step up to the temple. We find ourselves in the temple now and are admonished to lift up our hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. It does seem odd that many believers do not lift up their hands in the sanctuary during the time of praise through music. That appears to be the only acceptable time to lift our hands up. It would seem inappropriate to lift up our hands during the pastor’s sermon. Otherwise prayer time would work, the offering time would work, along with most any other time other than during the sermon. Yet maybe we should lift up our hands anyway, perhaps the pastor would be blessed. It does seem a little strange that we would like the Lord to bless us, but we are a little reserved in our praising and blessing him. Maybe it is time to shake off those reservations and get on with real praise, lifting up our hands and our heart, lifting up our voice and giving him all the praise, glory and honor he is due, for he is the Maker of heaven and earth. Yet there is one more sanctuary where we can praise him and lift up our hands whenever and wherever we are in body, for we are the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Therefore it is appropriate to lift up our hands in praise to God anytime and anyplace for we are constantly in the sanctuary of this temple. So we lift up holy hands when we pray, sing, or just live life.

1 Tim 2:8

8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

NIV

Let us praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let’s just lift up holy hands and praise the Lord.