I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
The verse calls men to pray in every place and at all times, lifting up holy hands to God. Lifting up holy hands means coming with clean hands and a pure heart, in a holy life with the heart set right with truth and refined and sanctified by it. Without wrath and doubting means free from anger and wrath, and without doubt or fear, but in believing faith and full assurance, as a little child conscious of doing right. Such prayer must be holy because God is holy, offered in humility with repentance and sincere desire for grace to overcome, looking to the heavenly sanctuary where Christ as Mediator presents it with His merit and righteousness. It belongs to workers, ministers, and all believers who depend on God continually with unselfish, holy lives, and it stands joined to modest dress and good works rather than display in apparel.
Words and Immediate Context
The charge is that men pray in every place and everywhere, lifting up holy hands, and do so always and continually. Lifting up holy hands is praying with clean hands and a pure heart in a holy life. It is the lifting of hands to God when the heart has been brought into right relation to truth and refined and sanctified by it. Because God is holy, prayer to Him must be holy, offered not in self-justification but in humility with repentance of sins, sincere heart and sanctified desire.
Without wrath is freedom from anger and wrath, with a life made holy and free from them. It requires a heart under God's control, with truth stamped upon it leading to righteousness. Without doubting is freedom from doubt and fear, in faith and believing confidence and assurance. It is coming with full confidence and a clear conscience as a little child, and as one conscious of doing right.
The call to men is joined in the same passage to the rule that women professing godliness adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety and with good works, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly array. Prayer with holiness is thus set beside godliness shaping conduct and appearance, with dress modest and godliness shown through good works rather than costly adornment and extravagance. Together these directions support separation from worldly display.
The direction is inspired apostolic instruction given by the commandment of God the Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is of great consequence to all who desire enlightenment, to be received and obeyed for present spiritual good by placing oneself on the Lord's side and under His divine guidance, heeding His It is written. It is plain teaching requiring prayer, devotion, and holiness of heart and life instead of frivolous conversation, vain music, fashion, self-pleasing, and worldly lusts, and it will condemn in the judgment those who pass it by.
Conditions for Acceptable Prayer
Because God is holy, prayer to Him must be holy, with clean hands and heart free from wrath and doubting, offered not in self-justification but in humility with repentance of sins, with sincere heart and sanctified desire, asking for grace to overcome and for supply of necessities. This holy, humble, repentant spirit is the condition for receiving from heaven's abundance, where God supplies necessities and gives every good and perfect gift, and is willing to do more than is asked or thought.
Impure thoughts and corrupt, unconsecrated actions prevent lifting holy hands without wrath and doubting, obstruct spiritual growth, hinder effective service, and make a person weak, inefficient and unfit for God's work. Doing wrong brings shame and makes a person feel unable to lay the soul open, while resisting temptation and living for God's glory gives courage to come to Him and readiness for His coming. Men controlled by sin and lacking virtuous character cannot pray with confidence and boldness, and their lives stand condemned in the judgment. Those controlled by impurity cannot approach God with confidence and boldness, and confession, repentance and forsaking of sin are needed so that sins may be blotted out and names retained in the Book of Life.
Sincere approach requires a heart under God's control with truth stamped on it, where belief leads to righteousness, with love to God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength, with genuine strengthening faith, purity, self-denial, and a life transformed by truth. Outward profession, sacred position, or public handling of sacred truth cannot substitute for this or make a person fit to pray if the heart remains carnal, unsanctified, cherishing secret sin, and not governed by God. This requires overcoming quick temper, strong overbearing talk, sharp words, censuring, evil surmising and self-sufficiency, being broken on the Rock Christ Jesus, receiving forgiveness, putting on Christ, learning in His school to make intercession with meekness and lowliness of heart, with a life made holy and free from anger and doubt, and committing the keeping of the soul to Him to be kept by the power of God.
Prayer is directed toward the heavenly sanctuary with holy boldness, humility, confidence and clear conscience, without shame or concealment and without anger or doubt, where Christ stands as Mediator before the Father and presents prayers with His merit and spotless righteousness like fragrant incense. Lifting holy hands becomes possible when Christ is made the sufficiency and the helpless soul hangs upon Him, and then power comes to every soul, and the more of this power is received the weaker a person feels in himself alone, with no swelling in pomposity, giving all glory to God as strength and power and elevation and wisdom. Keeping hands uplifted to heaven strengthens faith, and every step of advance with the light becomes like a voice of praise to God. It is the privilege of believers to pray with cheerful countenance lifted to God, not with sour faces, gloom, sadness, frivolity, lightness or trifling, to be strong in the Lord, cling to the Mighty One, express the brightness of His image, and take hold of the very richest promises of the Word, because with Jesus God gave all heaven and gives access to divine power. Those who feel condemned and separated from God by sin cannot approach Him boldly, for holy, faithful prayer belongs to a living connection with Him.
Prayer in Mission and Life
Workers and missionaries in every far-off country are to pray everywhere, drawing near to God with full assurance of faith, unselfish in the fear and love of God, with holy lives free from anger and doubt. They are to make Him their dependence and trust in every emergency rather than depending on men and leaning on human wisdom, laboring with an eye single to the glory of God. To those who pray and labor in this way God will make His pleasure and will known, and in active service they gain wisdom and the richest experience and prove His promises true, while those who do not work with a single aim for His glory but lean on human wisdom will make blunders.
Ministers are to pray with holy hands without anger or doubt, approaching God with confidence to ask the Father for the wisdom and grace needed for their work and to deal wisely with people. They are to intercede for those they serve and to pray with and for them in Christlike sympathy and love, in cooperation with Christ who pleads for sinners as High Priest in heaven. Believers are to bring their requests to the throne of grace and rely on God continually, hour by hour and moment by moment, coming with confidence to ask wisdom every day and every hour with assurance that He has promised and will give it, especially needed in the solemnity of the times. Coldness and worldliness can weaken desire and courage to pray, but Christ's service shapes relationships with others and makes life fruitful in good works. This prayer is offered not with sour faces, gloom, sadness, frivolity, lightness or trifling, but with cheerful countenance lifted to God to be strong in the Lord, to cling to the Mighty One and express His image, taking hold of the richest promises because with Jesus God gave all heaven and gives access to divine power.
Believers facing opposition, surveillance, councils and imprisonment need to know God and rely on His grace, confident that He hears, with holy living, freedom from anger and unwavering faith. One conscious of doing right can pray with holy hands and without doubt, the hands being holy because the life seeks to make others kind, obedient, truthful and loyal, and unjust imprisonment is no reason to doubt that God reigns. The same prayer belongs to family worship that honors God in the home, offered with clean hands and a pure heart, without anger or doubt. Those who feel condemned and separated from God by sin cannot approach Him boldly, for holy faithful prayer belongs to a living connection with Him.
In public worship prayer and testimony are to be spoken to God with clear, distinct, audible voices that can be heard by the assembly, with holy boldness, humility, confidence and Christlike assurance, lifting holy hands without fear or doubting and lifting the eyes toward the heavenly sanctuary. They are not to be spoken in low, indistinct, unintelligible tones or murmured words, with face covered or hidden by the hands as if ashamed. Praying and testifying distinctly in this manner edifies, encourages and blesses the hearers and glorifies God, showing that truth enlightens, broadens and strengthens the mind and that connection with Christ gives solidity and power to every faculty, and it requires persevering effort in improving the God-given talent of voice. There Christ presents prayers to the Father as fragrant incense mingled with His merit and spotless righteousness.
Joined to prayer is God's charge to come out from the world and be separate, especially because of living in the last days of probation, requiring neat, tasteful, plain and simple dress of good material carefully made for durability as true economy, with appetite in subjection, and forbidding gay or expensive clothing, prideful display, useless trimmings and rich adornment spent for self-gratification. Outward appearance testifies to the inward working of the heart, and truth received in the heart transforms mind and character, while pride in apparel reveals the thoughts and interests of the heart and is idolatry in small as well as large matters that separates from God as the golden calf separated Israel. God's people are to be doers of the Word with zeal according to knowledge, distinct and separate from the world in fashions of dress, speech and deportment, coming to worship clothed in modest apparel with shamefacedness, sobriety and good works rather than braided hair, gold, pearls or costly array. They are to practice self-denial and economy, laying aside extra ornaments explicitly forbidden, discarding useless adornings, never indulging extravagance to gratify pride, and selling them to help remove church debts and advance truth. Means saved by such self-denial are to be brought to God in thanksgiving, laid up as treasure beside His throne, and used to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, relieve suffering near and far, and tell present truth, while true value in His sight is inward adorning, the graces of the Spirit, the kind word and thoughtful consideration for others, a lesson to be learned and taught to children lest selfishness steal love and trust in God and mar religious experience.
Prayer with holy hands goes with the spirit of Christ, trusting God day by day, relying on His strength and not complaining of Him. This prepares believers to endure trials and resist temptation, and repeated experience of trusting His promises strengthens faith for harder trials.
The verse calls men to pray in every place and at all times, lifting up holy hands to God. Lifting up holy hands means coming with clean hands and a pure heart, in a holy life with the heart set right with truth and refined and sanctified by it. Without wrath and doubting means free from anger and wrath, and without doubt or fear, but in believing faith and full assurance, as a little child conscious of doing right. Such prayer must be holy because God is holy, offered in humility with repentance and sincere desire for grace to overcome, looking to the heavenly sanctuary where Christ as Mediator presents it with His merit and righteousness. It belongs to workers, ministers, and all believers who depend on God continually with unselfish, holy lives, and it stands joined to modest dress and good works rather than display in apparel.
Words and Immediate Context
The charge is that men pray in every place and everywhere, lifting up holy hands, and do so always and continually. Lifting up holy hands is praying with clean hands and a pure heart in a holy life. It is the lifting of hands to God when the heart has been brought into right relation to truth and refined and sanctified by it. Because God is holy, prayer to Him must be holy, offered not in self-justification but in humility with repentance of sins, sincere heart and sanctified desire.
Without wrath is freedom from anger and wrath, with a life made holy and free from them. It requires a heart under God's control, with truth stamped upon it leading to righteousness. Without doubting is freedom from doubt and fear, in faith and believing confidence and assurance. It is coming with full confidence and a clear conscience as a little child, and as one conscious of doing right.
The call to men is joined in the same passage to the rule that women professing godliness adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety and with good works, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly array. Prayer with holiness is thus set beside godliness shaping conduct and appearance, with dress modest and godliness shown through good works rather than costly adornment and extravagance. Together these directions support separation from worldly display.
The direction is inspired apostolic instruction given by the commandment of God the Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is of great consequence to all who desire enlightenment, to be received and obeyed for present spiritual good by placing oneself on the Lord's side and under His divine guidance, heeding His It is written. It is plain teaching requiring prayer, devotion, and holiness of heart and life instead of frivolous conversation, vain music, fashion, self-pleasing, and worldly lusts, and it will condemn in the judgment those who pass it by.
Conditions for Acceptable Prayer
Because God is holy, prayer to Him must be holy, with clean hands and heart free from wrath and doubting, offered not in self-justification but in humility with repentance of sins, with sincere heart and sanctified desire, asking for grace to overcome and for supply of necessities. This holy, humble, repentant spirit is the condition for receiving from heaven's abundance, where God supplies necessities and gives every good and perfect gift, and is willing to do more than is asked or thought.
Impure thoughts and corrupt, unconsecrated actions prevent lifting holy hands without wrath and doubting, obstruct spiritual growth, hinder effective service, and make a person weak, inefficient and unfit for God's work. Doing wrong brings shame and makes a person feel unable to lay the soul open, while resisting temptation and living for God's glory gives courage to come to Him and readiness for His coming. Men controlled by sin and lacking virtuous character cannot pray with confidence and boldness, and their lives stand condemned in the judgment. Those controlled by impurity cannot approach God with confidence and boldness, and confession, repentance and forsaking of sin are needed so that sins may be blotted out and names retained in the Book of Life.
Sincere approach requires a heart under God's control with truth stamped on it, where belief leads to righteousness, with love to God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength, with genuine strengthening faith, purity, self-denial, and a life transformed by truth. Outward profession, sacred position, or public handling of sacred truth cannot substitute for this or make a person fit to pray if the heart remains carnal, unsanctified, cherishing secret sin, and not governed by God. This requires overcoming quick temper, strong overbearing talk, sharp words, censuring, evil surmising and self-sufficiency, being broken on the Rock Christ Jesus, receiving forgiveness, putting on Christ, learning in His school to make intercession with meekness and lowliness of heart, with a life made holy and free from anger and doubt, and committing the keeping of the soul to Him to be kept by the power of God.
Prayer is directed toward the heavenly sanctuary with holy boldness, humility, confidence and clear conscience, without shame or concealment and without anger or doubt, where Christ stands as Mediator before the Father and presents prayers with His merit and spotless righteousness like fragrant incense. Lifting holy hands becomes possible when Christ is made the sufficiency and the helpless soul hangs upon Him, and then power comes to every soul, and the more of this power is received the weaker a person feels in himself alone, with no swelling in pomposity, giving all glory to God as strength and power and elevation and wisdom. Keeping hands uplifted to heaven strengthens faith, and every step of advance with the light becomes like a voice of praise to God. It is the privilege of believers to pray with cheerful countenance lifted to God, not with sour faces, gloom, sadness, frivolity, lightness or trifling, to be strong in the Lord, cling to the Mighty One, express the brightness of His image, and take hold of the very richest promises of the Word, because with Jesus God gave all heaven and gives access to divine power. Those who feel condemned and separated from God by sin cannot approach Him boldly, for holy, faithful prayer belongs to a living connection with Him.
Prayer in Mission and Life
Workers and missionaries in every far-off country are to pray everywhere, drawing near to God with full assurance of faith, unselfish in the fear and love of God, with holy lives free from anger and doubt. They are to make Him their dependence and trust in every emergency rather than depending on men and leaning on human wisdom, laboring with an eye single to the glory of God. To those who pray and labor in this way God will make His pleasure and will known, and in active service they gain wisdom and the richest experience and prove His promises true, while those who do not work with a single aim for His glory but lean on human wisdom will make blunders.
Ministers are to pray with holy hands without anger or doubt, approaching God with confidence to ask the Father for the wisdom and grace needed for their work and to deal wisely with people. They are to intercede for those they serve and to pray with and for them in Christlike sympathy and love, in cooperation with Christ who pleads for sinners as High Priest in heaven. Believers are to bring their requests to the throne of grace and rely on God continually, hour by hour and moment by moment, coming with confidence to ask wisdom every day and every hour with assurance that He has promised and will give it, especially needed in the solemnity of the times. Coldness and worldliness can weaken desire and courage to pray, but Christ's service shapes relationships with others and makes life fruitful in good works. This prayer is offered not with sour faces, gloom, sadness, frivolity, lightness or trifling, but with cheerful countenance lifted to God to be strong in the Lord, to cling to the Mighty One and express His image, taking hold of the richest promises because with Jesus God gave all heaven and gives access to divine power.
Believers facing opposition, surveillance, councils and imprisonment need to know God and rely on His grace, confident that He hears, with holy living, freedom from anger and unwavering faith. One conscious of doing right can pray with holy hands and without doubt, the hands being holy because the life seeks to make others kind, obedient, truthful and loyal, and unjust imprisonment is no reason to doubt that God reigns. The same prayer belongs to family worship that honors God in the home, offered with clean hands and a pure heart, without anger or doubt. Those who feel condemned and separated from God by sin cannot approach Him boldly, for holy faithful prayer belongs to a living connection with Him.
In public worship prayer and testimony are to be spoken to God with clear, distinct, audible voices that can be heard by the assembly, with holy boldness, humility, confidence and Christlike assurance, lifting holy hands without fear or doubting and lifting the eyes toward the heavenly sanctuary. They are not to be spoken in low, indistinct, unintelligible tones or murmured words, with face covered or hidden by the hands as if ashamed. Praying and testifying distinctly in this manner edifies, encourages and blesses the hearers and glorifies God, showing that truth enlightens, broadens and strengthens the mind and that connection with Christ gives solidity and power to every faculty, and it requires persevering effort in improving the God-given talent of voice. There Christ presents prayers to the Father as fragrant incense mingled with His merit and spotless righteousness.
Joined to prayer is God's charge to come out from the world and be separate, especially because of living in the last days of probation, requiring neat, tasteful, plain and simple dress of good material carefully made for durability as true economy, with appetite in subjection, and forbidding gay or expensive clothing, prideful display, useless trimmings and rich adornment spent for self-gratification. Outward appearance testifies to the inward working of the heart, and truth received in the heart transforms mind and character, while pride in apparel reveals the thoughts and interests of the heart and is idolatry in small as well as large matters that separates from God as the golden calf separated Israel. God's people are to be doers of the Word with zeal according to knowledge, distinct and separate from the world in fashions of dress, speech and deportment, coming to worship clothed in modest apparel with shamefacedness, sobriety and good works rather than braided hair, gold, pearls or costly array. They are to practice self-denial and economy, laying aside extra ornaments explicitly forbidden, discarding useless adornings, never indulging extravagance to gratify pride, and selling them to help remove church debts and advance truth. Means saved by such self-denial are to be brought to God in thanksgiving, laid up as treasure beside His throne, and used to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, relieve suffering near and far, and tell present truth, while true value in His sight is inward adorning, the graces of the Spirit, the kind word and thoughtful consideration for others, a lesson to be learned and taught to children lest selfishness steal love and trust in God and mar religious experience.
Prayer with holy hands goes with the spirit of Christ, trusting God day by day, relying on His strength and not complaining of Him. This prepares believers to endure trials and resist temptation, and repeated experience of trusting His promises strengthens faith for harder trials.