Title
Hands Raised in Victory 高举双手得胜
Date
05/10/2026
Description
Hands Raised in Victory 高举双手得胜
Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 马太福音 11:28: “凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来， 我就使你们得安息。”
Lamentations 3:22,23: Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. 耶利米哀歌 3:22,23: 我们不至消灭，是出于耶和华诸般的慈爱； 是因他的怜悯不至断绝。每早晨这都是新的。
Hebrews 12:12,13: So be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship... 希伯来书 12:12,13: 所以，你们要把下垂的手、发酸的腿挺起来.
Hebrews 13:15: Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God... 希伯来书 13:15: 我们应当靠着耶稣，常常以颂赞为祭献给神...
Psalm 89:1: I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever... 诗篇 89:1: 我要歌唱耶和华的慈爱，直到永远...
Hebrews 12:15: Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace. 希伯来书 12:15: 又要谨慎，恐怕有人失了神的恩...
Psalm 118:25: O God, please come and save us again; bring us Your breakthrough-victory! 诗篇 118:25: 耶和华啊，求你拯救！耶和华啊，求你使我们亨通！
Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 马太福音 11:28: “凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来， 我就使你们得安息。”
Lamentations 3:22,23: Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. 耶利米哀歌 3:22,23: 我们不至消灭，是出于耶和华诸般的慈爱； 是因他的怜悯不至断绝。每早晨这都是新的。
Hebrews 12:12,13: So be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship... 希伯来书 12:12,13: 所以，你们要把下垂的手、发酸的腿挺起来.
Hebrews 13:15: Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God... 希伯来书 13:15: 我们应当靠着耶稣，常常以颂赞为祭献给神...
Psalm 89:1: I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever... 诗篇 89:1: 我要歌唱耶和华的慈爱，直到永远...
Hebrews 12:15: Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace. 希伯来书 12:15: 又要谨慎，恐怕有人失了神的恩...
Psalm 118:25: O God, please come and save us again; bring us Your breakthrough-victory! 诗篇 118:25: 耶和华啊，求你拯救！耶和华啊，求你使我们亨通！
Creator
Pastor: Mike Koger
Contributor
Hillside United Methodist Church
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
Transcription
Hands Raised in Victory
Hebrews 12:12,13
A lectionary calendar is a structured, three-year cycle of pre-selected scripture readings — Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel — used for worship, study, and daily prayer.
It aligns with the Christian liturgical year and allows congregations to hear large portions of the Bible consistently.
When used properly, it can be a good thing.
Today is Mother’s Day.
I have rarely followed the calendar to offer the weekly message. I trust God to guide my heart as to what I feel led we need to hear…
…but this message today should really hit home with many mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers.
Because many people are carrying burdens no one else can see. And strong, God-fearing mothers are the best example I know of. They have often gone without rest or concern for themselves for too long at a time.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
If your heart is tired today, please hear these words.
Like me, you may say, “I know, I know…. but…”
This message is not here to condemn you.
It is here to call you back.
Maybe you have been carrying more than people know.
Maybe you still smile, still answer, still do what must be done, but inside, your soul is running low.
For a moment, let your heart become still before the Lord.
Let these words settle deeply into your spirit.
You do not have to pretend before God.
You do not have to act strong in the presence of the One who already knows your weakness.
Maybe the morning came quietly and you stepped into it with a heart that was still heavy from yesterday.
But before your feet touched the floor, mercy had already reached you.
God saw your exhaustion before you knew how to name it.
“Lord, I begin this new day for You, with You, and because of You.”
This morning, as you prepare to face whatever this day holds, the challenges, the uncertainties, the responsibilities, - you have a choice.
You can carry the weight of it all on your own shoulders, or you can start with thanksgiving and the sacrifice of praise and watch God transform your entire day.
The enemy wants tired people to believe they are abandoned.
But exhaustion is not evidence of abandonment.
Today we are going to bring this burden before the Lord.
We will remember His mercy and lay it down together.
When you anchor your morning in gratitude, you're not denying the reality of your problems. You're declaring the greater reality of God's power.
You're not ignoring your needs.
You're acknowledging that God is your ultimate provider.
You're not pretending everything is perfect.
You're proclaiming that God is sovereign over it all. Gratitude is an act of faith.
It's trusting that God is good even when circumstances aren't.
It's believing that he's working even when you can't see it.
It's choosing to praise him before you see the breakthrough.
You may not have everything you prayed for yet, but you are still here.
And since God woke you up this morning, it means He still has purpose for your life.
That is why Lamentations 3:22–23 :“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.”
Your life is not being held together by luck.
It is being held by mercy.
So even when our souls — and sometimes our bodies — feel tired, our best choice is still to praise Jesus for His strength in our time of weakness.
Hebrews 12:12,13 says: “So be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship. And strengthen your weak knees, for as you keep walking forward on God’s paths all your stumbling ways will be divinely healed!”
Phillips translation: “So take a fresh grip on life and brace your trembling limbs. Don’t wander away from the path but forge steadily onward. On the right path the limping foot recovers strength and does not collapse.”
Notice what scripture is teaching us.
It does not say we become strong by pretending we are not weak.
It says: “Be made strong even in your weakness…”
Sometimes faith is simply lifting tired hands.
Sometimes worship comes with trembling knees.
Sometimes praise is whispered through exhaustion.
But heaven still hears it.
The Bible speaks about a “sacrifice of praise.”
Hebrews 13:15: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
A sacrifice costs something.
Anybody can praise when the battle is over.
But faith praises while the battle is still raging.
• Sometimes praise costs tears.
Sometimes praise costs pride.
Sometimes praise is offered while the heart is still hurting.
But there is something powerful about choosing worship in the middle of weakness.
Psalm 89:1 says: “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever…”
Not just when life is easy.
Not just when every prayer has been answered.
But forever.
Jesus is the Great Shepherd. (“His name is Wonderful”)
Sometimes we realize we still do not have it all figured out…
…and we need the Great Shepherd to guide us back again.
Sheep do not usually realize how well they are being cared for… protected… provided for… guided.
A child may cry when the father takes a sharp knife out of his hands, but it is for the good of the child, isn’t it?
And sometimes we do not understand why God allows certain interruptions, delays, or corrections in our lives.
But the Shepherd sees dangers the sheep cannot see.
Some of you have spent so much time caring for everyone else that you forgot the Shepherd still wants to care for you. (and that you need His care)
Today’s scripture says: “Be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship.”
Raising our hands is a form of surrender.
And in the natural world, surrender may look like defeat.
But in the Spirit, surrender to Jesus becomes the beginning of victory.
When we lift our hands before God, we are not surrendering to fear.
We are surrendering to the One who can make us whole again.
He becomes our peace. Our strength. Our Shepherd. Our victory.
Sometimes our mission is also to help guide someone else back to this place of grace.
Hebrews 12:15 says: “Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace.”
There are weary people all around us.
Some are quietly breaking under burdens they have never spoken aloud.
And sometimes the greatest ministry is simply helping someone lift their hands again.
Helping them remember mercy again. Helping them believe again.
Psalm 118:25: “O God, please come and save us again; bring us Your breakthrough-victory!”
Today God is not asking you to prove your strength.
He is asking you to lift your hands.
Because victory does not begin with striving.
Victory begins with surrender.
These are not hands of defeat today.
These are hands reaching toward mercy.
These are hands raised in victory.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Today we come to You with tired hands, weary hearts, and burdens that sometimes feel too heavy to carry alone.
Thank You that Your mercy reached us before we even knew how to ask for it.
Thank You that Your compassion has not failed us.
Thank You that Your grace is still holding us together.
Lord Jesus, teach us to lift our hands again — not in defeat, but in surrender to You.
Where there is exhaustion, bring strength.
Where there is heaviness, bring rest. Where there is fear, bring peace.
Where there is wandering, lead us back beside still waters.
Help us to offer You a sacrifice of praise even in difficult seasons.
Help us trust the Shepherd who sees what we cannot see.
And Father, for every mother, grandmother, caregiver, and weary soul in this room today — surround them with Your presence and remind them they are not forgotten.
Strengthen weak knees.
Restore trembling hearts. Heal every stumbling path.
Today we raise our hands toward Heaven and declare that our victory is found in Jesus Christ alone.
In the mighty and merciful name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
I Surrender All – pg 354
Hebrews 12:12,13
A lectionary calendar is a structured, three-year cycle of pre-selected scripture readings — Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel — used for worship, study, and daily prayer.
It aligns with the Christian liturgical year and allows congregations to hear large portions of the Bible consistently.
When used properly, it can be a good thing.
Today is Mother’s Day.
I have rarely followed the calendar to offer the weekly message. I trust God to guide my heart as to what I feel led we need to hear…
…but this message today should really hit home with many mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers.
Because many people are carrying burdens no one else can see. And strong, God-fearing mothers are the best example I know of. They have often gone without rest or concern for themselves for too long at a time.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
If your heart is tired today, please hear these words.
Like me, you may say, “I know, I know…. but…”
This message is not here to condemn you.
It is here to call you back.
Maybe you have been carrying more than people know.
Maybe you still smile, still answer, still do what must be done, but inside, your soul is running low.
For a moment, let your heart become still before the Lord.
Let these words settle deeply into your spirit.
You do not have to pretend before God.
You do not have to act strong in the presence of the One who already knows your weakness.
Maybe the morning came quietly and you stepped into it with a heart that was still heavy from yesterday.
But before your feet touched the floor, mercy had already reached you.
God saw your exhaustion before you knew how to name it.
“Lord, I begin this new day for You, with You, and because of You.”
This morning, as you prepare to face whatever this day holds, the challenges, the uncertainties, the responsibilities, - you have a choice.
You can carry the weight of it all on your own shoulders, or you can start with thanksgiving and the sacrifice of praise and watch God transform your entire day.
The enemy wants tired people to believe they are abandoned.
But exhaustion is not evidence of abandonment.
Today we are going to bring this burden before the Lord.
We will remember His mercy and lay it down together.
When you anchor your morning in gratitude, you're not denying the reality of your problems. You're declaring the greater reality of God's power.
You're not ignoring your needs.
You're acknowledging that God is your ultimate provider.
You're not pretending everything is perfect.
You're proclaiming that God is sovereign over it all. Gratitude is an act of faith.
It's trusting that God is good even when circumstances aren't.
It's believing that he's working even when you can't see it.
It's choosing to praise him before you see the breakthrough.
You may not have everything you prayed for yet, but you are still here.
And since God woke you up this morning, it means He still has purpose for your life.
That is why Lamentations 3:22–23 :“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.”
Your life is not being held together by luck.
It is being held by mercy.
So even when our souls — and sometimes our bodies — feel tired, our best choice is still to praise Jesus for His strength in our time of weakness.
Hebrews 12:12,13 says: “So be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship. And strengthen your weak knees, for as you keep walking forward on God’s paths all your stumbling ways will be divinely healed!”
Phillips translation: “So take a fresh grip on life and brace your trembling limbs. Don’t wander away from the path but forge steadily onward. On the right path the limping foot recovers strength and does not collapse.”
Notice what scripture is teaching us.
It does not say we become strong by pretending we are not weak.
It says: “Be made strong even in your weakness…”
Sometimes faith is simply lifting tired hands.
Sometimes worship comes with trembling knees.
Sometimes praise is whispered through exhaustion.
But heaven still hears it.
The Bible speaks about a “sacrifice of praise.”
Hebrews 13:15: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
A sacrifice costs something.
Anybody can praise when the battle is over.
But faith praises while the battle is still raging.
• Sometimes praise costs tears.
Sometimes praise costs pride.
Sometimes praise is offered while the heart is still hurting.
But there is something powerful about choosing worship in the middle of weakness.
Psalm 89:1 says: “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever…”
Not just when life is easy.
Not just when every prayer has been answered.
But forever.
Jesus is the Great Shepherd. (“His name is Wonderful”)
Sometimes we realize we still do not have it all figured out…
…and we need the Great Shepherd to guide us back again.
Sheep do not usually realize how well they are being cared for… protected… provided for… guided.
A child may cry when the father takes a sharp knife out of his hands, but it is for the good of the child, isn’t it?
And sometimes we do not understand why God allows certain interruptions, delays, or corrections in our lives.
But the Shepherd sees dangers the sheep cannot see.
Some of you have spent so much time caring for everyone else that you forgot the Shepherd still wants to care for you. (and that you need His care)
Today’s scripture says: “Be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship.”
Raising our hands is a form of surrender.
And in the natural world, surrender may look like defeat.
But in the Spirit, surrender to Jesus becomes the beginning of victory.
When we lift our hands before God, we are not surrendering to fear.
We are surrendering to the One who can make us whole again.
He becomes our peace. Our strength. Our Shepherd. Our victory.
Sometimes our mission is also to help guide someone else back to this place of grace.
Hebrews 12:15 says: “Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace.”
There are weary people all around us.
Some are quietly breaking under burdens they have never spoken aloud.
And sometimes the greatest ministry is simply helping someone lift their hands again.
Helping them remember mercy again. Helping them believe again.
Psalm 118:25: “O God, please come and save us again; bring us Your breakthrough-victory!”
Today God is not asking you to prove your strength.
He is asking you to lift your hands.
Because victory does not begin with striving.
Victory begins with surrender.
These are not hands of defeat today.
These are hands reaching toward mercy.
These are hands raised in victory.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Today we come to You with tired hands, weary hearts, and burdens that sometimes feel too heavy to carry alone.
Thank You that Your mercy reached us before we even knew how to ask for it.
Thank You that Your compassion has not failed us.
Thank You that Your grace is still holding us together.
Lord Jesus, teach us to lift our hands again — not in defeat, but in surrender to You.
Where there is exhaustion, bring strength.
Where there is heaviness, bring rest. Where there is fear, bring peace.
Where there is wandering, lead us back beside still waters.
Help us to offer You a sacrifice of praise even in difficult seasons.
Help us trust the Shepherd who sees what we cannot see.
And Father, for every mother, grandmother, caregiver, and weary soul in this room today — surround them with Your presence and remind them they are not forgotten.
Strengthen weak knees.
Restore trembling hearts. Heal every stumbling path.
Today we raise our hands toward Heaven and declare that our victory is found in Jesus Christ alone.
In the mighty and merciful name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
I Surrender All – pg 354