"Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright." (Psalm 33:1 NASB) Go on down to verse 3 and it states "...play skillfully with a shout of joy."
These verses really stood out for me recently. I was raised in a Christian home, and my father was a minister. Yet, when it came to showing our 'praise' in church, it was frowned on to speak out with a "Hallelujah", or to raise our hands, or even move our bodies to the music. We were very sedate and formal.
This verse says, "it is fitting for the upright to 'praise' Him." (By 'praise' I mean a showing of enthusiasm!) We are also told in I Timothy 2:8 to 'lift up holy hands', and in Psalm 141:2 the lifting up of the hands is the evening offering. We must lift up our hearts, and to be even more Scriptural, we should even lift up our hands.
This is hard for me to do, but I love seeing others do it. Their eyes may be closed and their hands raised, and I feel there is a certain beauty and glow when one worships in this way.
One song we sing occasionally in our church is called "Clap de hands, stomp de feet". I found these words in Ezekiel 6:11 where God told the people to get excited--show emotion: "Clap your hand, stamp your foot!" Up until a few years ago I even felt awkward clapping my hands in church following a special.
My Prayer: O Lord, this is how I am, and I may never change, but Lord, inside I holler and shout and Praise Your Holy name! I am lifting up my heart, and my hands, in response to You. Amen
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