WEEK THREE: THE POSTURE OF PRAISE

A recent study from Duke University’s Interdisciplinary Behavioral Research Center suggests that body posture plays a significant role in how we communicate feelings to others, but also in how we feel while in those postures. In this study, they assessed head positions, arm positions, and degrees of expansiveness, measured both horizontally and vertically to see what emotions and feelings different postures elicited. Most assumed that bigger, more expansive postures like arms raised or out to their sides demonstrated a sense of domination or aggression… but what they found was quite the opposite. What they discovered was that those postures often showed not dominance, but something else: when the posture included raised arms and a head tilted up, it actually elicited a sense of joy and awe! So, what does that suggest when it comes to our worship?

Now obviously just raising your hands or looking up doesn’t necessarily mean that we are worshipping God. Those motions can easily be faked, but they do suggest that how we approach worship (even down to our posture) can influence the rest of our being as we worship.

True worship begins not with our body posture, but with the posture of our hearts. What is our motivation in worship? Jesus himself questioned the religious leaders of his day as to the “show” that they put on when they worshipped because their prayers were superficial acts giving only an appearance of spirituality.  The goal in our worship should never be to be seen or to have an emotional experience. The goal is to express our thankfulness for the transformation God has done in our lives through his love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy.

So, what does this all mean for us? Start with your heart. What is your heart posture toward God? Are you coming to him in humility and reverence, or are you just going through the motions? Then let your worship be a heartfelt expression of what God has done and is doing in your life. Lift your hands in celebration or surrender.  Look toward heaven in joy, caught up in the awe and wonder of God. Outstretch your arms receiving the love and goodness of God. Fall to your knees in reverence as a sign of surrender to God’s authority or a sign of humbly bringing your needs before him. Wherever you are in your relationship with God in that moment, let your physical worship—as well as what you say or sing—be a demonstration of what he is doing in your life.