Why Do People Raise Their Hands When They Worship?

Hey, Carpool Crew. It's Pastor Justin. Welcome to a new series of bonus episodes called Questions from the Backseat. These are quick episodes where we answer big questions kids have about God, the Bible, faith, or just things they've been wondering about. Because when you're riding in the car, there's always questions coming from the backseat. So in these bonus episodes, we'll take one question at a time and try to answer in about a minute or two. And I would love your help. If you've got a question, you can send it in, use the link in the show notes, and we might answer your question on a future bonus episode. And guess what? This one is exclusive to Spotify subscribers. So if you're listening to this, it's the only place you can listen to it. This is exclusive for you on Spotify. Thanks for subscribing. Let's jump in. Wait, what? Hey, Carpool Crew. It's Pastor Justin and this is Questions from the Backseat where we try to answer your questions in about a minute. Have you ever noticed that some people raise their hands during worship at church? You might see someone with their hands up while the music is playing and think, why are they doing that? The Bible actually talks about this in the book of Psalms, chapter 134, verse 2. It says, 'Lift your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord.' See, raising your hands can be a way of showing love and praise to God. And think about this. When your favorite team scores a big goal, what do people do? They throw up their hands in the air because they're excited. Sometimes raising your hands during worship is just a way of saying, 'God, I love you and I'm for you.' But here's something really important. You don't have to raise your hands. Some people worship quietly. Some people only sing. Some people close their eyes. Some people, yeah, they raise their hands. But the most important thing is what's happening in your heart. If someone raises their hands just so people will notice them or think they're super spiritual, that's not good. In the book of Matthew chapter 6, verse 1, Jesus reminds people not to do good things just to be seen by others. So raising your hands can be a beautiful way to worship God, but it's not something you have to do. What matters most is loving God and being sincere. And remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you.