In this battle with the Amalekites, Moses recognized that as long as his hands were raised, the Lord was going before the army. However, unlike a traditional banner or sign, when the Lord goes before you He does more than announce your coming, He literally fights the battle on your behalf. When Moses' hands were lifted, they were more than just a symbol of morale to the armies down below. I believe that Moses' hands were lifted in worship unto God. This is one of the amazing things about worship. Whenever we teach our children or a new believer about raising hands in worship we always use the explanation that it is a form of surrender—at that is true. We use the classic example, "If someone had a gun pointed at you, you would naturally lift your hands in surrender. You would yield to them because they are in a position of higher power for the moment." But at this battle Moses was not raising his hands in surrender but, rather, in victory. He was literally sending God out as the banner lead fighter for the army as long as his hands were raised.
Friends, there is a time and a place to humble yourselves before God and yield to His leading, but there is also a time to throw your hands up and rejoice because as you worship God is fighting the battle on your behalf. When God fights there will always be victory!
Psalm 20 gives us a wonderful illustration of this fact. May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the god of Jacob defend you; may He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; may He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.....Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
Worship declares, "I have put my trust in God, for He alone is able to bring victory, and He alone is the standard by which I live my life." As I write this I am reminded of a song that we would often sing in college: Lift high the Lord our Banner; Lift high the Lord, Jesus King. Lift high the Lord our Banner; Lift high your praise to Him sing. As we worship we are lifting Jesus high like a banner. We are declaring that He is greater than our current circumstance, and we are yielding to His Lordship and to His standard—not ours.
The Lord himself has declared that He carries a banner over us. ...His banner over me is love. (Song of Solomon 2:4) Whenever the Lord comes onto the scene, he may be coming in salvation, forgiveness, judgment, or correction, but before any of that He comes in love. He has declared that He loves us with an everlasting love.
Just as Moses held up his hands in worship for the victory that God would bring, you can do the same. The next time you are facing the Amalekites in your life remember that God has given us this wonderful tool called worship, and as we do that God will literally go before us and fight those battles until they are won.
Experiencing Worship, The Study
Used by churches all over the world to help teach worship, the Experiencing Worship study can help your worship team too.
Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
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Experiencing Worship, The Study