I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting (1 Timothy 2:8)
There is nothing that is more pleasing to God than to live a sacrificial life. All through the Bible we see that a sacrificial life was one that was rewarded. In the above verse we see Paul not just urging the believers to pray but he also gives them an instruction about their posture in prayer: lifted hands. What is the significance of lifted hands in prayer? Lifted hands in our time of prayer is an expression of sacrificial offering to God: “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2). For our prayers to be acceptable to God, not only should they be sacrificial (lifting up our hands), but they should be without wrath and doubting.
Wrath and doubt will void the effectiveness of our prayer life. Doubt will hinder our ability in life to press through situations, then hinder us from moving forward in our purpose in Christ; doubt will ALWAYS cause our problems and challenges to look bigger than our God-given promises: “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33). Wrath and anger have to do with our relationship with others and a defiled relationship will defile our offering and cause it to be unacceptable and ineffective: “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering” (Matthew 5:23,24). This week let us live lives that are effective, void of wrath and doubting.
Declaration: This week I will live as one who has an effective life of prayer and my effective prayer life will be an outcome of my living a life that is void of wrath and doubting.
Scripture: Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires (James 1:20, NLT).