Daily Devotional

Why We Lift Our Hands

Have you ever wondered why we lift our hands when we worship? Throughout our church, there are many different expressions of worship. Some of us worship through singing, some of us worship through dancing, and others worship through lifting our hands. 

Throughout the Old Testament, two Hebrew words connected to praise and thanksgiving express why we lift our hands: yadah and todah.

Yadah comes from the Hebrew word for “hand” and represents the idea of reaching out, lifting, or extending our hands. When we lift our hands to God we can say, “Thank You Lord for what You’ve done.”

Todah represents the idea of thanksgiving and praise, including thanking God for what we’re trusting Him to do. It’s a posture that says, “God, I don’t know what’s ahead but I trust You.”

So when we lift our hands, we’re not simply looking back and thanking God for what He has already done. We’re also looking ahead in faith and saying, “Lord, I trust you with what’s to come.”

Maybe today you have plenty of reasons to thank God. Maybe you’re walking through circumstances you don’t quite understand. Either way, worship gives us an opportunity to turn our attention toward the One who is faithful in every season. 

You don’t have to have everything figured out to worship. You can lift your hands as a reminder that God is worthy of your praise and worthy of your trust. 

So today, take a moment to reflect:

• What can I thank God for today?
• What am I trusting Him with that I cannot yet see?

Let your worship become both a “thank You” for what God has done and an "I trust You" for what He will do.

Prayer Practice: Take a moment to worship God for His faithfulness. Thank Him for what He has already done, and surrender what is ahead to Him. If you’re able, physically lift your hands as a reminder that you trust God with both your past and your future.