Lift Up Your Hands

Psalm 134:2-3….. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
The beginning of this scripture reminds me of one time, after an argument with my mother, I rushed out to our church meeting. I was praising God with my hands uplifted when I sensed the Lord asking me what I was doing. I knew I had to go back to my mother’s house to apologise to her.
With much weeping and repenting, I asked my mother to forgive me and, in the midst of all that was going on, my dad was wonderfully saved. By doing what I was told, the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, blessed me and my family.
I understand that uplifted hands are a gesture of worship and praise before the Lord but adopting this posture is not, in itself, worship or praise. Neither is singing. It is in our spirit where true worship originates and, on that particular occasion, I had a wrong spirit.
We are looking here at Psalm 134. It is not by accident that it comes after Psalm 133, a well known Psalm that that speaks of unity. It says where there is unity, ‘the Lord bestows His blessing, even life for ever more.’
If we cannot live in harmony with those people closest to us, how can we expect to be at one with the Lord? How can we expect to be blessed?
Christianity is not about charismatic posturing, it is about character building. Our aim is to love others as Jesus Christ loves them – unconditionally and without compromise. When we do that, not only will our hands stretch upwards to heaven but our praises will too.
Lord Jesus, thank you for showing us the importance of character. Amen.