Reach For the Sky!

1Timothy 2:8 - I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

    Paul specifically exhorts the men to pray. A close look at the average prayer meeting tells us that a lot of the women are already praying. It does seem that it is more natural for women to pray but for men, we want to fix things, or simply work harder, or get a job done with our hands. This verse tells us that men should pray and lift up holy hands. We are told to take those hands, which represent our ability and strength, and lift them up in prayer. To lift them up is the opposite of putting them to work. Lift them up in surrender, yielding them to the Lord. Don’t use your hands, let God use his hand to accomplish. 

    I think, when facing difficulties, our tendency as men, is to simply work harder but, when things do not go well, we fall into either wrath or doubting. Prayer is the antidote to both those tendencies. If we pray then we can trust that God’s hand is working; we don’t have to yield to doubt. If we pray then we can let go of all the ill-will or unforgiveness and anger; we can allow God’s love to fill our hearts. Anger might also be our tendency when it comes to certain things not working out the way we thought they would. Maybe we are not where we want to be financially, or in our marriage, or with our job or children. The tendency then might be to become frustrated or angry. We might blame others, ourselves, or even God. We may also give in and begin to doubt the word of God. Are the promises of God really true? Why hasn’t this or that happened? Maybe at that point we might begin to doubt ourselves. Do we have what it takes? Maybe God can’t use me anymore, maybe my wife or children do not need me anymore. No! All these are lies. Prayer brings us into a place of truth, it brings clarity to our thinking and enables us to have God’s perspective.

    It is also interesting to note that we are told that men should pray everywhere; all men in every locality are to pray. All of us, regardless of our circumstances and status or our geographical location, are to pray. Prayer levels the playing field. No one has more access to the Father than anyone else. We are equal in the place of prayer. Prayer is the answer for all men in all locations. Many times it feels like we are stuck; stuck in a certain situation or in a certain location but as someone has once said, ‘you can get anywhere in the world from where you are right now’. The real truth is we do not need to get anywhere but simply to look up and to lift up our hands in prayer. 

    I encourage all men everywhere to first of all, before you go out in the morning to use your hands to produce an income and provide for your family, to lift up those holy and sacred hands to your Heavenly Father, the ultimate provider. Let’s expect the answers and the solutions that we need right now as we raise our hands and our hearts to the One who is absolutely faithful. Amen!