Daily Devotional – Saturday, February 3, 2024
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Lamentations 3:41 (KJV)
Tucked between Jeremiah and Ezekiel is the five-chapter book of Lamentations. It is a dirge to the fall of Jerusalem, the great city that now lies in ruins. Each of the five poems paints a gloomy picture of the consequences of rebelling against God, yet the prophet Jeremiah does not leave his readers without hope. Indeed, he teaches us how to worship God genuinely.
Let Us Return to God
Because sin has led to the current situation, only genuine repentance and reformation can bring peace and restoration. The prophet knows exactly how revival and reformation take place, hence this statement: “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens.” (Lamentations 3:40-42).
To begin with, ardent soul-searching through the prompting of the Holy Spirit is necessary. We need to examine ourselves vis-à-vis the perfect law of God for us to realize just how far we have veered off the path of righteousness. In the Christian era, the enormity of our sin and the accompanying guilt only make sense when viewed in light of the death of Jesus on the cross.
Let Us Lift Up Our Hearts with Our Hands
Secondly, the convicted heart must turn to Jesus. Here is beautiful imagery: “Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens.” Picture your hands holding your heart and lifting it up in repentance and adoration for God.
According to Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible, “Lifting up of the hands is a prayer gesture and is put for prayer itself; see Psalm 141:2; but the heart must go along with it, or it is of no avail; the soul must be lifted up to God; there must be an ascending of that unto him, in earnest desires after him; in affection and love to him; in faith and dependence on him; and in hope and expectation of good things from him, Psalm 25:1; this is the way in which men return to God, even by prayer and supplication.”
Prayer
Almighty Father, whenever I turn away from You, teach me how to return genuinely in attitude, action, and words.
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Amen🙏
Welcome, Paul.