Click for hilarious Hand Raising Comedy
My son Benjamin and I took a little road trip recently. After his last exam we took off to California. Our objective was two-fold: 1. Have some great father/son time. 2. Have some great Father/son time.
We wanted some alone time together to sweeten our relationship and make sure we’re connected with open hearts. We also wanted to spend some time together at Bethel Church in Redding California marinating in our Father’s love. So, father/son time, and Father/son time.
I created a special eclectic road trip play list of awesome ‘worship’ music. Some I had never heard of and some Benjamin hadn’t heard of: Rend Collective, Will Reagan and United Pursuit, Bethel Music, John Mark McMillan, Andre Crouch and the Disciples, Van Morrison, Earth, Wind and Fire, Phil Keaggy, and schwack of others.
We did some cool guy stuff like driving a dune buggy on the sand dunes of Oregon, and firing a Tommie Gun at an indoor shooting range. We ate like kings, watched cool shows in our hotel rooms, amongst other male bonding activities. However, our ultimate objective was time with our Father at Bethel.
Benjamin has experienced a few struggles the past few years. He’s had a tough time connecting with God. His heart had been hardened over to a certain degree, so he wanted to step out and step into a fresh openness with the Lord at Bethel. During times of worship at church meetings, Benjamin had tended to stand with his arms crossed in front of him. This was a bit of a sign of what was going on in his heart. He was a little closed, guarded and hardened.
During times of worship at Bethel Benjamin was struggling to open up his heart. Arms crossed, heart closed he was present, but not necessarily ‘engaged’. He made the choice to open up his heart and engage. His arms came down and he tenderly opened them up to Jesus as if to say, my heart is open to you Lord.
The Lord wonderfully began to move in Benjamin’s heart ministering to those secret places of woundedness. We shared a beautiful time together of open-hearted worship, offering our hearts to the Lord and receiving God’s love in a profound way.
Later we talked about how we can continue walking with and worshiping the Lord wholeheartedly back home. Amongst many other things we agreed we need to be present and engaged in worship, and open our hearts to God regardless of how we feel. He is worthy of our worship no matter what is going on with our emotions.
One of the ways we can do this is raising our hands as an indicator of our heart’s posture. For example, arms low and palms up is a way we can say, “Lord, my heart is open to You. I receive You and all You have for me.” Arm, or arms raised above our head is a way we declare, “Lord I surrender to you.”, or, “I declare…your greatness, goodness, majesty, worthiness”, etc.
‘As a sign of surrender’ like when confronted by the police – “Hey, I give up, I surrender to your authority.” Or, arms raised in celebration like at a sporting event. When our team scores we thrust our arms in the air in celebration – it’s a natural autonomic response.
Tim Hawkins, a Christian comedian, has a very funny routine about raising hands in worship. Click on the photo to see his routine, it’s hilarious.
So, after we had been home a few weeks I asked Benjamin how his times of worship had been going at his church. He indicated it was OK, but not great. We talked a little about what we had agreed upon on our road trip and then he said this to me,
“OK Dad, I will worship harder.”
Wow, it hit me hard. That really isn’t the point. I don’t want Benjamin to think he has to try harder, to work harder to worship God. The objective is really the opposite…
…to worship ‘softer’.
Our objective is to soften our hearts and simply offer our hearts to God in adoration, love and surrender. We can choose to have a soft and open heart to our Father, even if we are struggling, feel bad, are angry, disappointed or any other myriad emotions that keep us from worshipping the Lord.
Yes, we want to be men who worship softer, not harder. Let’s engage and open our hearts to God – He is worthy of our wholehearted love.
Isaiah 66:2b
“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word.”
Psalm 42:5
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 108:1
My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.
Psalm 146:1,2
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”