I heard something this summer that surprised me. One kid was talking about why he did not attend a particular church. It all boiled down to this, “I just don’t feel like I am worshiping God unless I am raising my hands.”
Lots of people worship God differently; that makes sense. There is something about that statement that bothers me though. It is twofold really: can’t you just raise your hands and why exactly does feeling like you are worshiping God matter if you are actually worshiping God.
This first point is perhaps to obvious, but if worshiping God entails you raising your hands – PUT THEM IN THE AIR. If worshiping God means that you have to be the only person in the whole church with your hands in the air, I really do not see any other option. Unless of course the plan was not to worship God but just to go to church and be accepted.
Why exactly do you have to feel like you are worshiping God to do so? What exactly do feelings have to do with worship? Worship is more than just singing and playing an instrument. Worship is giving honor to God. Is the goal worshiping God or is the goal feeling like you are worshiping God?
Perhaps the problem lies in this, “I just don’t feel like I am worshiping God unless I am raising my hands.” There are three occurrences of the word ‘I’ and only one of God. It is focused incorrectly. If I were worshiping God and my hands needed to go into the air, then they would, but my hands being in the air is merely an outward expression of an inner commitment to praise God. The exact position of my hands has nothing more to do with whether or not I can praise God than what I had for lunch.
Worshiping God is supposed to be God focused, It is my privilege to be a part of it. Nothing else matters.

~JCPunk