Chris Tomlin & Darren Whitehead Talk About The Words That Will Change How You WorshipMuestra

Day 1 – Holy Roar

The Hands of Praise 

YADAH

Yâdâh, yaw-daw´: To revere or worship with

extended hands. To hold out the hands. To throw a

stone or arrow.3

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May the peoples praise (yâdâh) you, God;

may all the peoples praise (yâdâh) you.

—PSALM 67:3

From Darren Whitehead: 

It’s true; in my youth, I was prone to poke fun at those who were expressive in worship. On a rare occasion, when someone dared to branch out with a raised hand in our otherwise stolid service, I’d lean over to one of my mates, or whoever might be sitting beside me, and I’d ask, “Do they need to go to the bathroom?” We’d get a good chuckle from the experience, then go back to singing our hymns, eyes fixed on the pages of those old hymnbooks. Hand-raisers, see, were outside the norms of our church subculture. They were too emotional, the folks on the edges.

As I wrote in the introduction, I followed my friend to a more expressive church in my early adulthood, and after a time, I became a regular attendee of that church. It was a church full of hand-raisers, kneelers, and dancers, and as much as I enjoyed their freedom to express their emotions in praise and worship, I clung to some of my more reserved tendencies: Keep your eyes on the words. Don’t get too emotional. Don’t be a distraction. Why didn’t I feel the same freedom as the rest of the congregation? What was holding me back? 

Freedom doesn’t always come overnight, I suppose. I wouldn’t find the freedom to express myself in praise to God in a congregational setting—at least, not at first. Instead, God overcame my inhibitions in the privacy of my 1982 cherry red Mazda RX-7. It was one of my first cars, one with a CD player and a distinct sense of cool. And cool as that car was, it surprised me when a friend gave me a CD to play while I drove around town, one that I prejudged as anything but cool. 

The album was one of the first by Hillsong, and it was entitled The Power of Your Love. These were the days before the Hillsong craze, before they’d written so many of the songs sung in churches around the world. In fact, it was before the modern worship movement was in full swing. I’d never heard of Hillsong, so I asked what kind of music they played. It was a collection of worship songs and choruses, he said, and my response was less than pious. 

“Church music? Why would I want to listen to that in my car?” I asked. 

“Trust me, mate,” he said. “You need to check this out.” 

He was a good friend, and I trusted him; so on his recommendation, I began listening to that CD. I listened and listened, and over the weeks that followed, something happened, something I didn’t expect. I found myself in my car, not reaching for my old music—INXS, Midnight Oil, or Red Hot Chili Peppers. Instead, I began craving that early recording of Hillsong choruses. Those songs ambushed me, and as I listened, I found myself drawn into the presence of God. He was there, in that music, in my car, and it was in that expanding reality that I finally broke.

I was listening to The Power of Your Love on an afternoon just like any other. I pulled up to a stoplight, and in that moment, while waiting for the light to turn green, I was overcome by the goodness and power of God. Without a second thought, I took my hands from the steering wheel and lifted them. It was the most natural expression, and in that moment, I knew it: I’d become one of them. I’d switched teams.

I’ve been a hand-raiser ever since.

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From Chris Tomlin

BEHIND THE MUSIC: Holy Is the Lord

One afternoon May, I waited backstage to lead worship as notable preacher John Piper took the podium. If you know Dr. Piper, you know following him is no small task. Still unsure which song I’d lead after what was sure to be his incredible sermon, I listened for any cue. I was on my knees in the backstage grass, asking God, “Please don’t let me mess this up.” John stood at that podium, surveying the crowd and letting the tension settle. A moment passed, and in his smooth baritone, he began.

“I have a word for you from Isaiah 6. ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’”

I listened as he spoke of the majesty and glory of a holy God, and I knew it. God had given me the song “Holy Is the Lord” for this gathering, this day, these people. Dr. Piper finished his sermon, and I took the stage with the band. I looked over the crowd, this mass of forty thousand university students, knowing I was about to field-test a song. I strummed the opening chords and sang the first verse. I sang the verse and chorus, eyes closed in worship. When I circled back to the verse, I opened my eyes. That’s when I noticed it: a wave of hands lifted in the sea of people. It was a collective act of praise, a natural expression of gratitude to a good and holy God.

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Reflection and Discussion Points

But just as the lifting up of the hands is a symbol of confidence and longing, so in order to show our humility we fall down on our knees.

—JOHN CALVIN

Personal and group reflection questions:

1. Based on the above verses, how common do you think the practice of lifting hands in worship was in the ancient world?

2. Do you regularly praise God by lifting your hands? If so, think about or describe the first time you remember lifting your hands in worship in a public setting.

3. Read the quote by John Calvin. Do any words or phrases stand out to you? How do these words impact the way you think about praising God?

4. How do you think lifting hands represents confidence and longing?

5. What are we communicating to God when we lift our hands?