Family of God: [Church_of_Christ] Doulos Meditation for April 25

#1 of 6 Meditations on Hands. Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:8—I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

Reflection: For Christians, lifting up one's hands in prayer has been a practice of devotion from the earliest days of the church. The praying figure with hands uplifted is one of the most common pictures on the sarcophagi in the catacombs from Roman times. Usually a female figure (whether in tombs of men or women) lifting hands to God came to be known as an Orans or Orante. This depiction became a symbol for the soul, especially the soul at rest in Paradise before God.

The hands are very closely connected with the mind—both as organs of sense and as expressing the thought and emotion of the mind. This is the basis for graphology or handwriting analysis—the mind cannot hide from the hand its thoughts—and a trained analyst can read traits of dishonesty, fear, disease, and emotional state in a writing sample. Paul says for the Christians to lift holy hands. The hands also have had historic symbolic connections with supplication, praise and blessing. Many modern groups are rediscovering the meaning of raising their hands in worship. We will try to explore hands for a few days and tap into a rather rich but neglected image in scripture.

Prayer Starter: Father, we lift up our hands in praise to you. But we also open our hands in supplication that we might receive from your bounteous grace and mercy. Amen. www.doulosinternational.org Blog: http://didialog.wordpress.com/

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