Recently I stumbled across a verse that has really spoken to my heart. Oftentimes I – and probably you too – find a verse that I am truly blessed by that is primarily meant to mean one thing, but to me, it has a completely different meaning. This is the case for this devotion’s verse.
Hebrews 12:12a says, “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down.” I greatly encourage you to read this passage in its entirety, however, for today, let’s look at it from an additional perspective.
I tend to apply the scriptures to my daily life. I love to apply them in a manner that I can easily relate to and translate to my everyday situations. In these devotions, I often speak of the chaos and hurriedness that each of us encounter on a minute-to-minute basis. Life seems to go by so fast, and it seems to me that we just go through the motions without even thinking most of the time.
This verse hit me in such a way that it just made me stop and think for a moment. Sometimes people say things to you that may not mean that much at the time. Sometimes people will say things that seem so obvious that I truly wonder why they said anything at all! To me, this verse is simply saying, “Lift up your hands whenever you find them at your sides.” When you are going through life haphazardly and you suddenly find yourself not walking with God in the way you know you should, then stop whatever you’re doing and lift your hands up. Praise the Lord because He is the reason you are here. We owe our lives to Him now and forever. David said, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness,” (Psalm 29:2).
I think that many times I don’t even realize that I’m not taking enough time to worship God and to praise Him, and I’m living with my “hands down”. Then, when I finally become aware that my hands are not up in the air – both figuratively and literally – I wonder why in the world they are not lifted up in praise every minute of every single day. Psalm 95:6 says, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”
It’s such a simple action that means so much, and it’s one that is so significant and vital to our relationships with God. Romans 15:11 says, “And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.” Hebrews 13:15 offers, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
I encourage you to think about this verse, and apply it to your life. It took studying this very simple, direct verse for me to understand and truly recognize that my hands weren’t up, and I wasn’t praising Him in the manner He deserves. Instead I found myself again living through the chaotic hours that fill every day, living kind of like a robot. I’m so thankful for this verse because of the way it has woken me up to this fact and has guided me to a continuous manner of worship. I pray this verse wakes you up too, especially if you don’t realize that your “hands are down.” Philippians 1:11 says, “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”