7 Hebrew Words - Yadah (Part 3 of 7)

YADAH
HANDS TO GOD
 
For those of you who are just joining in, this is the third entry in a series about the 7 Hebrew words for praise. Up to this point, we have discussed the words Todah and Barauch. Todah reminds us to give thanks to God for His great love for us, and it also describes one of the highest forms of worship in the Hebrew tradition. We also heard about the reverence of Barauch, with which we humble ourselves before the one who gave everything for us. This next form of praise might be vaguely familiar to us even if we have never before intentionally participated in it.
The Hebrew word Yadah (Hands to God) is next in our lineup of Hebrew words of praise. If you have ever participated in praise and worship with a group of people or witnessed expressive praise, you will surely have seen this form of worship. Yadah is the act of using our hands to worship God, but what does that even mean? How can we use our hands to worship God? As humans, we are composed of a spirit and a body. Naturally our spirit should give worship to God, but if we limit ourselves to our spirits, then we remove an integral part of our nature. We are sacramental beings, meaning that we make visible the realities of God that are invisible; we bring into the physical realm that which is spiritual. What better way to do this than with our bodies, the visible portion of our humanity? Just as a man and woman give praise to God with their bodies by joining together in the conjugal act of love within the Sacrament of Marriage, so too should we give praise to God with our bodies.
The way I like to explain Yadah to people is if a policeman were to point a gun at you, what would your first reaction be? Naturally you would put your hands up. But why? It’s because you are trying to show them that you are not a threat. It’s a universal sign of surrender.
How beautiful this action becomes within the context of worship, raising our hands as a sign of surrender to God. And this is just one way Yadah is used in worship. We can hold our hands up to indicate our surrender, but also we raise our hands to Heaven to express our longing for God. We lift them up to show we are reaching out for Him. We spread our arms open wide or extend them in front of us as a sign of openness to receive from the One who loves us. We can even clap to show our approval and give honor to God. It is also possible to offer the daily work we do with our hands as a sacrifice of praise to Him. Working at our craft, washing the dishes, using the tools of our trade, offering a handshake, lending a helping hand, and the comforting touch of a friend-- all these are examples of how we can lift our hands to God (Yadah) in testament to His love.
 
USE YOUR HANDS TO WORSHIP THE GOD WHO OPENED HIS ARMS ON THE CROSS 
 
An example in scripture of God’s people using Yadah to worship Him comes from the book of Genesis. Leah, who was experiencing contempt from her husband Jacob, began pleading with the Lord to bless her with sons in the hope that she would gain Jacob’s approval. God heard her prayers and eventually she bore ten sons. On the birth of her fourth son Leah said, "'This time I will praise (Yadah) the LORD.’ Therefore she named him Judah.” (Genesis 29:35) The name ‘Judah’ comes from the word Yadah and literally means ‘praise’. You may also recognize that this is the line from which Jesus himself descended, hence His title “the Lion of Judah.” Our God is likened to a Lion of ‘Praise.’
I encourage you to incorporate Yadah into your lives by offering your praise to God through the expression and work of your hands. It may be uncomfortable at first, but such a simple act of surrender can be a powerful example of love and witness to our trust in God’s will for our lives. You might be surprised how open and fruitful your prayer can become when you use your hands to worship the God who opened His arms on the cross to receive you.