This is why even Jesus was so personal with the people he was with. He healed a blind man by touching his eyes, and physically healed others by going up to them and touching them. I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;. Since holding or folding our hands before God is a sign of worship, God desires that we lift pure hands up to him without anger in our hearts.
An example of this practice is from the book Love Does by Bob Goff. God knew that our physical attitude affects our spiritual attitude, which is why when we unclench our fists or lift up our palms for a time, we feel more peaceful and get to a place where we can cast all our anxieties on him in prayer because He cares for us.
From 1 Thessalonians, we know that we are called to rejoice, pray, and give thanks to God all the time in our daily lives. Though it is never necessary or required in the Christian faith to fold or hand your hands in a certain way, it is still a great practice that Christians utilize to submit and surrender to God.
When I was younger, I thought the people waving their hands all over the place were kind of weird. It just seemed awkward and unnecessary. As I got a little older, I thought I'd figured out the reasoning behind the action -- to demonstrate joy and praise to God through worship.
It was a way to be connected to Him by simply reaching out. I wasn't wrong about that last part. Worship is certainly a way to feel God's presence, and it can be powerful for people in different ways. Some people like me prefer worshipping through our instruments instead of singing.
Others are content to simply stand and enjoy the knowledge that God is right there in the room with us as the church unites as one voice and one body. And some like to reach their hands out to the ceiling, like they're trying to blend the physical and spiritual sensations. But lifting your hands doesn't always imply joy or praise. Biblically, the gesture is actually a sign of surrender. In Exodus 17, when the Amalekites try to attack the Israelites, Moses must find a way to defend the people.
It only takes a minute. Thank you! Donate now! And today we celebrate Prayer for this morning. Daily meditation. Prayer for this evening. Top Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. I thought it was just taught to children to stop them fidgeting! Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Very interesting question. I did some browsing and came up with the following information. Improve this answer. One of the quotes above says that Jesus clasped his hands when he prayed, but it doesn't have a source — is it just tradition preserved through artwork , or is it mentioned specifically in the Bible?
Ned Ned 21 1 1 bronze badge. Hi Ned, welcome to Christianity. That's a very interesting bit of research. I don't suppose you have a link to where the book would be available? If so, could you please edit it into your question? Brion Carroll Brion Carroll 11 1 1 bronze badge.
Welcome to C. This is an insightful answer, although it would benefit from additional sourcing - meaning that if you could find other theologians who've shown similiar stuff, it would make it amazing. As it is, I suspect Gregory of Nyssa would be proud : When you get the chance, I'd recommend you check out our tour and see how we are different — Affable Geek. You aren't related to Evan Carroll, btw, are you? We can pray kneeling or standing while our hands are raised and spread toward heaven as the scriptures say: 1 Kings And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven There are other scriptures that explain the same.
Noel Noel 1. Welcome to the site! However, this doesn't answer the question, it's more of a comment on whether it matters.
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