“Lift up holy hands in prayer, and praise the Lord.” Psalm 134:2

When my dad was fighting in the South Pacific during WWII, my mom would quite uncharacteristically lift her hands to Heaven, pleading for God’s protection over her beloved fiance’. Her prayers held back the forces of the enemy that were bent on destroying him. She ceased that posture upon his safe return, but I have recently taken it up myself.

I have for the past few years experienced heart arrhythmia, an annoying and troubling condition, albeit rather benign. I have found, though, that when I employ the posture described in Psalm 134 – simply lifting my hands to Heaven in prayer and praise – when I feel the first inkling of an irregular heartbeat, it goes away immediately. Arrhythmia is often connected to anxiety and stress; the Holy Spirit, I believe with all my heart, spoke to my soul and said, “When you pray with lifted hands, you can hold back the forces of darkness.” Those forces of darkness would love to ruin my health, my life, or even my day. So I lift my hands at the first sign of anxiety and breathe a prayer of thanks. Immediately I feel the anxiety lift and the peace of God flood my being.

Try it for yourself during this stressful holiday season. Observe the peace of God flood your soul. Prayer is never magic, however! Prayer assumes a loving, covenantal relationship with the Creator of the universe, the God who has more than enough love for all 7.13 billion of us. Giving Him the mess my life was in was the best decision I ever made. 

Father,

I thank You for your peace that passes all comprehension. I praise You for your presence and the gift of your peace in my life. The world can’t afford to give it to me, nor does it have it to give, but you are rich in it. I receive it now in the Name of Jesus. Your peace banishes all anxiety and the negative effects it wreaks on my life. Hallelujah, You have made me new! You reboot my attitude and my outlook! You give me reason to rejoice and strength to rise above the circumstances that challenge me today!

In Jesus’ Name Amen