“So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands”
Psalm 63:4 ESV
Years ago, I was going through a really bad time. I was dealing with depression and anxiety without any professional help. My marriage was falling apart. I felt like I was in a hole so deep no one could find me, not even God. I had two toddlers running around. Life was just not working at all.
I remember one night after a fight with my husband (now ex-husband), I sat down on the couch after putting my babies to bed and just started to cry. It seemed like there was no way out for me. I knew I needed to be strong for my girls and learn how to be a better wife to my husband but I had no clue how I would achieve that. God felt very far away and I felt like a huge failure.
For some reason, the verse 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 came to my heart:
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Praise and worship have always been my favorite part of any church service. I’ve always loved to sing. At the time, I was part of a praise and worship team at my local church. I was well acquainted with the power of praise and knew how to raise my hands. However, in my depression, I was sure I had the strength. I remember being honest with God and telling Him I wasn’t sure if I could even lift my hands to him. I wasn’t sure why anymore.
God very gently spoke to my heart. He said, “When your babies come to you and they lift their hands to you, what does that mean?”
I replied, “It means they want me. They want me to pick them up and hold them.”
God said, “And what happens when you hold them?”
I said, “They’re comforted. They’re loved. It’s an act of security for them to be in my arms.”
God answered, “Then lift your hands to me, daughter. I will lift you up and hold you. You will be comforted and you will know how much I love you. You’ll be secure in me.”
Lifting my hands in praise and worship has been easy for me ever since that day because I always remember these words. I always remember how I felt that night as I lifted my hands to Jesus. Depression and anxiety melted away in those precious moments I was held by my Heavenly Father. Was my life perfect after that? No. The abuse in my marriage turned into adultery which then resulted in divorce and a whole new way of life for my girls. Yet, none of that really matters because whenever I felt waves overtake me, I just lifted my hands and let God lift me up.
My daughters are grown young women. They haven’t received this revelation yet and are far too shy to experience total freedom in worshipping God. I don’t worry. I know deep in my heart that their own conversation with God is just on their horizon. One day, they will need to lift their hands and when they do, God will hold them, comfort them, provide for them and show Himself to be their Daddy and not just their Heavenly Father.
Maybe you’re like I was and you’re in a well of darkness or depression. Maybe you need to be lifted up in some way. Can I pray for you?
“Heavenly Father, we love you so much. We thank you for your Word that gives us everything we need in every season. Father, your word says to praise you in every circumstance. We know how important this is and how important it is to lift our hands to you in prayer as well as in praise. Sometimes, Lord, we admit we don’t always feel like it. Sometimes, we just don’t have the strength. But we know, Father, that you desire us to be free and to walk in freedom. We know you desire to be not just Abba Father but Daddy to us your kids. So we take a step of faith and we lift our hands to you, Daddy. And we lift our hands, we ask for you to lift us up. We ask to be seated on your lap, with your arms wrapped around us. We thank you for your love and comfort. We thank you for security and we thank you for not leaving us in the pit but placing our feet on solid ground. We thank you and we praise you for this, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Faith Love n Joy 