| When we lift our hearts and hands to God Who reigns on high. What is it we are doing when our hands reach to the sky? We get a rough idea when we look at TV roles. “Hand’s up” declares the officer; “or you’ll be full of holes”. It may seem elementary. It works like that in war. “Hands up” in any conflict means that you will fight no more. Antagonists surrender with hands above the head. Respond and do it quickly or you’ll be shot down dead. The very best example that’s known to you and I, Was Jesus being crucified; His hands were nailed up high. It looked like He surrendered and this was very true. It was the only way that He could die for me and you! He had to bear the burden of our collective sin; And only by surrendering could Jesus ever win. We think that we are helpless with hands above our head. But that’s not what His Father, to Jesus clearly said. |
| We know He won the battle by surrendering to God. Our victory is certain when we tread the path He trod. We may think it is weakness, if we do not resist. But God is strong when we are weak, a fact that’s often missed. We also often lift our hands to honour what we see. We watch a player score a goal and shout in ecstasy. It’s not a sign of worship; that charge we would refute, But everyone is doing it, so we just follow suit. Where does this custom come from, where is its origin? We notice Moses doing it, so that his men could win. We see that the Amalekites fought hard for victory. But when he raised his arms aloft, defeat was theirs to see. So what is it that we can learn from this brief thumbnail sketch? Perhaps the best that we can say is sometimes, we must stretch. We cannot just continue and hope the Lord will say, “I’m giving you the victory. You’re sure to win today!” We have to do it His way, with both hands held up high. He will not come and rescue us if we do not comply. Until we all surrender and seek to do His will, He’ll leave us longing for His help and that won’t be until, We all capitulate to Him and honour Him as King. So lift your hands and praise His name; lift up your voice and sing. Jim Strickland – written Tuesday, 06 September 2011 |
