1 Timothy 2:8: Therefore I Want The Men Everywhere To Pray
1 Timothy 2:8
New International Version
8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.
What we do with our hands represents the deeds of our lives. Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit begins to address men before addressing women. This is most likely due to men being seen as the spiritual head of the family and the church. Men and women have complimentary roles in the body of Christ. One is not greater than the other. But God is a God of order, there is a hierarchy to both leadership in the home and leadership in the family. If we desire the blessing of God upon our lives, we must do things according to God and His ways.
Paul calls men to prayer. Prayer is simply a conversation between us and Almighty God. We cannot grow in the fullness of Christ without a daily intimate prayer life with the Lord. It is in the place of prayer that our hearts are transformed by the work and power of the Holy Spirit. When we think about the greatness of God and that His power is without limit, it is clear that God doesn’t need us. He can simply speak a word, and everything can change. But prayer is more for our benefit than for the Lord’s. He is continually desiring to mold and shape our lives. He desires to bring us into a deeper place of intimacy with Him, but prayer must be a priority for us. It is interesting that often times when prayer meetings are called in a church that the majority of those who attend are women. Satan desires to so fill the heart of a man with distractions that he has no time from prayer. But when a man commits his life to prayer, he becomes a devastating force for God against the devil and the kingdom of darkness.
Paul calls men to lift up holy hands. Our life and conduct is revealed by what we do with our hands. David cried may the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you (Psalm 19:14). Paul writes that we are called to be living sacrifices to the Lord (Romans 12:2). Our very lives are temples of the Holy Spirit. What we do with our hands when we have come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ should be done to honor and glorify the Lord in all things. Therefore, Paul calls us to lift holy hands. If our hands are involved in sin, we must recognize the error of our ways and come to repentance. Repentance not only involves a change of mind, but it requires a change of direction.
Paul calls men to lift up holy hands without angry or disputing. Both of these would impact the spiritual life of a man. If a man’s life is steeped in anger, it will not only impact his relationship with God but also with others. Jesus calls us to love one another. Jesus calls us to kindness and compassion. We live in a world that is evil and wicked and it is easy to become incensed at the things that we see. But we must bring all things before the Lord in prayer recognizing and remembering that vengeance belongs to the Living God.
If our lives are given over to disputing it will make way for division and discord which are two of the great strategies of the enemy. Satan desires to divide and conquer. Men who allow themselves to be given over to disputing, become a tool of the enemy. Men are called to lead and live in the character and nature of Christ. For the man who surrenders his life fully to Christ, he becomes a vessel through which the Lord can change the world around him. When a man is fully given to Christ, his hand, feet, and mouth become an extension of who Jesus is.