LIFTED HANDS, LIFTED HEARTS: REDISCOVERING CHILDLIKE WORSHIP.
DEAR MODERN-DAY PARENTS/GUARDIANS,
I was recently listening to one of my favorite lady preachers, who is also a worship leader, and she shared something during worship that has stayed with me ever since. She said to the congregation, “When we ask you to lift your hands, it’s not about us giving you instructions just for the sake of it or forcing you to do something. It’s about realizing you have hands to lift and being grateful to God for that.”
Those words sank deep because lifting hands in worship can sometimes feel like a routine. It can sometimes feel like something we do just because the worship leader says so. Something we mimic because everyone else around us is doing it. But she reminded me of something I had forgotten: Worship isn’t about motion. It’s about the meaning behind the motion. It’s about gratitude. It’s about surrender. It’s about acknowledging the God who gave breath to our lungs and strength to our arms.
And then she said something that touched me even more deeply: “In the natural, when a child lifts their hands, every parent knows exactly what they mean.” I immediately pictured a child with arms lifted high. That simple, wordless plea:
“Pick me up.”
“Hold me.”
“Carry me.”
“I need you.”
There is no confusion. No hesitation.
A parent doesn’t say, “What do you want?”
We know. We scoop them up because love responds instinctively.
Our lifted hands are less about religion and more about our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Lifting hands is not a command to perform; it’s rather an invitation to surrender. It’s a recognition that God is strong where we are weak. It’s an act of trust, not obligation.
As I reflected on her words, I could see myself as a child. It changed everything for me.
God reads our lifted hands the same way we read our children’s. As parents, we understand this better than we realize. Our kids lift their hands without fear or hesitation because they trust us fully. They don’t doubt our love. They don’t wonder if we’ll reject them. They simply reach… and we respond.
When we lift our hands in worship, we aren’t just performing a gesture. We’re saying, “Father, I need You.”
“Carry me.”
“Hold me.”
“I’m tired.”
“I can’t do this in my own strength.”
Psalm 63:4 says,
“I will praise you as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands.”
Not because we are forced.
Not because we are told to.
But because we are grateful for the privilege.
Grateful that we have the strength to lift them.
Grateful that God meets us in our reaching.
As a parent, when was the last time you lifted your hands in worship simply out of gratitude and childlike trust, not out of routine? During your quiet time or worship this week, take a moment to lift your hands not for the sake of gesture, but as a child lifts their arms to a loving parent. Let your children see worship as something safe, warm, and relational.
💎 At Gems for Generations, we believe worship begins at home. Our children learn trust, gratitude, and surrender by watching us reach toward our Heavenly Father with open hands and open hearts.
👉 If this message encouraged you, would you forward it to another parent or share it on social media?
Blessings,
Jane Asamoah
PS: With a full heart, I’m sharing something I’ve poured my soul into. My first adult book is out today. It’s about using our temples, which are our bodies, to point others to Jesus, just as the Old Testament temple once did.
This is more than a book - it is an invitation to turn your temple into a place where God is not just welcomed but truly at home.
I’m deeply grateful to God for this moment and each of you. Check it out and grab your copy on the link below.
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