Lifting Our Hands, Lifting Our Hearts: Finding Strength in Surrender

“Lift Up Your Hands” Sermon | 05.04.25

In the journey of faith, we often encounter moments that challenge our understanding and push us to the limits of our trust. It's in these pivotal times that we're called to remember a profound truth: sometimes, the most powerful action we can take is to lift our hands in surrender and praise to God.

Consider the image of Moses atop a hill, his hands raised high as Joshua and the Israelites battled the Amalekites below. As long as Moses kept his hands lifted, the Israelites prevailed. When his arms grew weary and lowered, the tide of battle turned against them. This vivid scene from Exodus 17 serves as a powerful metaphor for our own spiritual battles and the importance of maintaining our posture of praise and dependence on God.

But why is this act of raising our hands so significant? It's not about the physical gesture itself, but what it represents. When we lift our hands to God, we're demonstrating our trust, our surrender, and our acknowledgment that victory comes not through our own strength, but through His power working in us.

The Psalmist understood this well, declaring in Psalm 63:4, "So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands." This isn't just a ritual; it's a heartfelt expression of worship and reliance on God's strength.

Yet, how often do we find ourselves lowering our hands, metaphorically speaking? We get caught up in the struggles of life, the anxieties of our circumstances, and we forget to maintain that posture of praise. We start to rely on our own understanding, our own plans, our own strength. And like the Israelites when Moses' hands lowered, we begin to lose ground in our spiritual battles.

The apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:6-7, "Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." This scripture echoes the lesson from Moses' raised hands – in every situation, we're called to lift our concerns to God with a heart of gratitude and trust.

But let's be honest – this isn't always easy. Our human nature often rebels against the idea of surrender. We want to fix things ourselves, to be in control. We might even find ourselves, like Moses did at times, questioning God's methods or timing. Yet, it's precisely in these moments of doubt and struggle that we need to remember: God's ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).

Consider the story of the professional golfer invited by the king of Saudi Arabia to teach him golf. When offered a gift in return, the golfer humbly requested a golf club, imagining perhaps a gold-plated or jewel-encrusted club. Instead, he received the deed to an entire 500-acre golf course. This tale reminds us that our limited thinking often fails to grasp the magnitude of what God wants to do in our lives. We ask for a club; He gives us a kingdom.

This brings us to a crucial point: our commitment to God's ways and our confidence in His character are essential. When Moses raised his hands, it signified his unwavering trust in God's plan, even when it didn't align with conventional battle strategies. Similarly, we're called to trust God's methods, even when they don't make sense to our limited understanding.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 beautifully illustrates the outcome of this trust: "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Imagine that – being so rooted in God's love and provision that even in times of drought, we continue to flourish and bear fruit. This is the promise for those who maintain their trust in God, who keep their hands lifted in praise and surrender.

But what about those times when we feel too weak to lift our hands? Remember, even Moses needed support. Aaron and Hur stood beside him, holding up his arms when he grew weary. This reminds us of the importance of community in our faith journey. We need fellow believers who can come alongside us, supporting us when our own strength fails.

As we navigate the complexities of life, let's challenge ourselves to adopt this posture of praise more consistently. When faced with challenges, instead of immediately trying to solve everything ourselves, what if our first response was to lift our hands to God? What if, in moments of confusion or doubt, we chose to praise Him for who He is, rather than focusing on what we don't understand?

The Psalmist declares in Psalm 145:1-2, "I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever." This isn't just a call to praise when things are going well, but a commitment to praise God every day, in every circumstance.

As we close, let's remember that lifting our hands to God isn't just about physical gestures in moments of worship. It's a lifestyle of surrender, trust, and praise. It's about acknowledging that our strength comes from Him, that His ways are higher than ours, and that even in our weakest moments, He is working for our good.

So today, whatever battle you're facing, whatever mountain seems insurmountable, whatever valley feels too deep – lift your hands. Surrender your plans, your worries, your strengths, and your weaknesses to the One who holds it all. For in that posture of praise and dependence, you'll find a strength that surpasses your own understanding, a peace that transcends all logic, and a God who is more than able to turn your mourning into dancing, your ashes into beauty, and your graves into gardens.