What a beautiful day it is today! I hope you’re able to enjoy it and soak up some sunshine!

It has been such a joy to see the 9am, 10:45am and 6.30pm congregations worshiping in a new way over the time I’ve been interning at St Nic’s, and it has been so beautiful to see claps of praise resounding as we’ve worshiped over the last few weeks! Which is really what today’s devotional is all about – clapping and raising hands in PRAISE!

As I touched on in the last devotional, the Bible portrays praise and worship as very physical acts, using our whole bodies. Whether that’s bowing, lying down – totally surrendered – in worship, dancing, jumping for joy, or clapping, worshiping with our whole bodies is a sacrificial, costly act, worthy and in honour of our King! The Bible also has lots of examples of raising hands, and clapping, in worship and praise – let’s dig in…

In the midst of their exile, Isaiah prophesies this over the Israelites… 

“You will go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
    will clap their hands.”

Isaiah 55:12

What a beautiful picture of all of creation praising and rejoicing together as the Israelites return to their Promised Land after many years in exile! And what an encouragement for us, that there will be a day when God will lead us out in joy and peace, and the whole of His creation will rejoice at the new Heaven and new Earth – what a reason to PRAISE! If even creation will praise then, bursting into song and clapping their hands, what a lesson for us right now, as we seek to see more of God’s Kingdom on Earth. God is worthy of all of our applause, of all of our joy, and of our tangible outpourings of praise.

When I think of using our hands in worship, I’m also reminded of Moses, praying for the Israelites as they engage in battle against the Amalekites:

‘”Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.’

Moses knew and trusted that as long as he held his hands up and prayed, the Israelites would overcome the Amalekite army, and that’s exactly what happened! Our worship is a weapon, and I so firmly believe that God uses our praise and worship to win battles, to overcome the enemy, and to bring about victory for His people. But the key thing about this passage is that it’s not a solo activity – we need others to come alongside us, to hold our hands up when we’re tired, so that we can continue to worship and trust in the Lord. There is something so powerful about worshiping as a congregation each week, because that’s the time we can do exactly that! We stand alongside each other, praising the Lord as a united body, seeking those victories for ourselves, and our brothers and sisters!

So, what season are you in? Are you needing to have your hands held up by others, or are you strong and able to support others as they struggle in worship? Do you need to dig deep to find the joy in your circumstances, to enable to you clap, or does this come freely and easily at the moment? How can you bring all of yourself to God this week as you engage in worship?