Should we raise our hands/clap our hands during worship?

Answer

Scripture instructs us to worship God, to exalt His name, and to offer Him our praise. There is a biblical basis for both raising hands and clapping as acts of worship. Psalms 47:1 states, “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Here, both clapping and joyfully shouting to God are encouraged. In 1 Timothy 2:8, it is written, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.” While the focus of this verse is on the heart’s attitude, it shows that raising hands is a fitting posture for prayer and worship. With these biblical examples, we can confidently affirm that both gestures can be acts of worship.

The key question is whether these gestures, or any specific gesture, are mandatory for worship. By examining various acts of worship in the Scriptures, we find a range of expressions and positions. We have already observed the directive to clap our hands and shout to the Lord. “The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other musical instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: ‘He is good; his love endures forever.’ Then the house of the LORD was filled with a cloud” «it came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; », (2 Chronicles 5:13). Therefore, we see that singing praises and playing instruments were also appropriate ways to express worship.

Expressions of worship can take various forms. Singing as an act of worship is also mentioned in Ephesians 5:19, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”

The postures of worship encompass standing, kneeling, prostrating ourselves, lifting our eyes, lowering our gaze, and raising our hands. There is no single posture that is universally mandated for worship, nor is there a sole “authorized” way to express worship. Therefore, it can be inferred that raising hands and/or clapping during worship is a suitable form of worship, even though it is not obligatory. John 4:24 states, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” Worship is a spiritual experience, and genuine worship emanates from the heart. If our worship lacks sincerity, the specific posture or expression used becomes irrelevant. When our worship is heartfelt, God receives it.