Worshiping with our hands has meaning. Clapping our hands symbolizes bringing things together in our lives. Opening our hands in a posture for prayer signifies openness and receptivity to divine unlimited ideas. Waving our hands changes the atmosphere and removes negativity. Another form of worshiping with our hands is stretching forth our hands.
In Mark 3, Jesus healed the man with the withered hand. Jesus told the man to stand up in the temple on the Sabbath day and stretch forth his hands. When he stretched forth his hands, he was made whole. Both hands were identical; he no longer had one withered hand. He had two fully functioning hands. Jesus, the Christ, is calling us today to do the same thing, stretch forth our hands.
Stretching forth our hands is a way to pray with others for their highest good and to support them in the fulfillment of their hearts’ desires. When we stretch forth our hands toward an individual, we are holding the vision of their perfection and wholeness. We are seeing them as God sees them as spiritual beings: perfect, whole and complete. As we stretch forth our hands, we are releasing the healing light of God’s love toward the person so that they can be free from sickness, pain, disease and discomfort.
When several members within a congregation stretch forth their hands toward an individual, we are empowering the person to overcome the obstacles of low self-esteem, guilt, shame, condemnation, poor self-worth and lack of self-image. Stretching forth our hands collectively also breaks chains of bondage and liberates people from addictions that they may have struggled with for years such as sex, drugs, smoking, gambling, cigarettes, etc. There is power in our hands. Let’s use our hands to manifest God’s power in the earth.
