Free To Worship

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord”. Ps. 134:2

The first time I raised my hand in church, I was overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. I thought everyone was watching me. However, when I looked around, I saw that everyone had their eyes closed, worshipping God for themselves. They weren't paying any attention to me at all. This realization helped me relax and focus on the Lord instead of my hands.

I was raised in very conservative churches where I never saw anyone in my family worship outwardly. At that time, we were attending a charismatic, non-denominational church filled with the Holy Spirit, where lifting hands was a normal practice. One day, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “This is the least you can do for me considering the price I have paid for you.” It was then that I began to understand the concept of the sacrifice of praise.

“Therefore, by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God… “Hebrews 13:15.

The sacrifice of praise means worshipping Him even when you don’t feel like it or don’t want to. It’s about doing it anyway, even when you’re scared. It involves humility and surrender of self. It’s about laying down your pride and exalting the One who laid down His life for you.

“Therefore, by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God…” - Hebrews 13:15.

'The sacrifice of praise' means worshipping Him even when you don’t feel like it or don’t want to. It’s about doing it anyway, even when you’re scared. It involves humility and surrender of self. It’s about laying down your pride and exalting the One who laid down His life for you.

Over time, God led me through even more breakthroughs in my worship. When I attended a large youth conference for the first time, I was in awe as I looked around at over twenty thousand teenagers raising their hands unashamedly, lifting up Jesus Christ. I thought, if the children are doing it, then shame on us adults. We should be setting the example.

Then Eddie James released the album "Free to Worship." In one performance, I saw a drama where people were trying to worship but were bound in chains, held back by demons. Eventually, one by one, they began to break free. This experience greatly impacted me.

That’s when the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Melissa, I want you to be the example. I want you to lead my people into worship.” We often think of a worship leader as someone on stage, encouraging others to engage in song, but it’s so much more than that.

The enemy will try to get you so worried about what others think and the fear of man, that it will stop you from your purpose. However, the truth is that when they see you, it often brings conviction to their spirit and reminds them that they should be raising their hands too.

“Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” - Psalm 63:4.

There is freedom in worship. When you choose to lift your hands to the Lord, you are saying, “God, I surrender. I submit my will to yours; whatever you want from me, I give it to you. I offer you my whole heart and make you the Lord of my life.” It’s also an expression of saying, “God, I exalt your Holy Name. You are bigger than any problem. I give you all the glory, honor, and praise.”

We can all be worship leaders by setting an example. If you already raise your hands to the Lord in worship, be encouraged that you are leading others to do the same. If you don’t, then I challenge you to take a step of faith and surrender your will to His will. The right feelings often follow the right actions. Sometimes, worship is a sacrifice—especially during difficult times or after facing tragedy. Yet, offer it to Him anyway; He deserves it!

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth so that He may support those whose heart is completely His”. 2 Chronicles. 16:9