Should Christians Clap Their Hands When Praying?

By James Quansah, Pastor

SOME PASTORS in Ghana teach Christians to aggressively clap their hands when they pray. They commonly quote Ezekiel 6: 11 to support their teaching. It reads: “Thus says the Lord God: “CLAP YOUR HANDS AND STAMP YOUR FOOT and say, Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”

But this scriptural verse does not in any way ask Christians to clap their hands in prayer. The story is that the congregation of Israel had committed idolatry against God, provoking Him to anger. God, then, spoke to Ezekiel, the prophet, to tell the Israelites the judgment He was bringing on them.

In showing how Ezekiel should effectively communicate that message to express His grief and anger over their sin, God commanded Ezekiel to strike his hands and stamp his foot. It is just like what some women do when quarreling in their homes or on the streets. They clap their hands and stamp their feet to express their anger and displeasure.

It is clear that Ezekiel was not praying to God, but speaking to men. The same story is retold in Ezekiel 21: 14 which reads: “As for you, son of man, prophesy. CLAP YOUR HANDS and let the sword come down twice, yes, three times…” Numbers 24: 10 also reads, “And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he STRUCK HIS HANDS TOGETHER.”

You can see from these passages that Ezekiel and Balak were not praying to God when they clapped their hands. We all know that people pray to a sinless God. Why then should we clap our hands when we go to Him in prayer?

Now, it is important to stress that Ezekiel did not only clap his hands when he spoke. He also stamped his foot. Therefore, pastors who insist on encouraging Disciples of Christ under their care to clap their hands in prayer must as well ask them to stamp their feet.

Indeed, I am not afraid to state that asking Christian believers to strike their hands together repeatedly when praying is a strange teaching which must be discouraged and stopped. We know that the Early Church never clapped their hands in prayer to get God to answer their prayers.

Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, David, Solomon, the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul, and the other believers prayed to God and received answers to their prayers, but none of them aggressively clapped his hands in prayer. If clapping hands in prayer could move God to answer prayers speedily and drives demons away, Ghana would be a better country in the world.

The Lord Jesus Christ, our Perfect Example, raised the dead, calmed the stormy sea, and performed other mindboggling miracles but He never clapped his hands when He prayed. What we know, however, is that biblically, God’s children always knelt down, stood or maybe sat to pray to God while their hands were lifted up in reverence to God.

 Paul, the apostle, taught that hands be lifted up when praying; he did not say that hands be struck together. This is what Paul taught Timothy, to do when praying: “I will therefore that men pray every where, LIFTING UP HOLY HANDS, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2: 8, KJV).

The Psalmist also says, “Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help. When I LIFT UP MY HANDS towards Your holy sanctuary” (Psalm 28: 2) and, “May my prayer be counted as incense before You; THE LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS as the evening offering.

The Bible clearly teaches that God’s children should lift up their hands while praying. Thus, asking Christians to clap their hands when praying is a great error and must be corrected immediately. It is high time today’s Christians learnt from the Berean Christians who examined the Scriptures to see if the things Paul taught them were so (Acts 17: 11).

James Quansah is the Executive Director of Christ-Conscious Leadership Centre (CLC) and lead Pastor of End-Time Christ’s Commissioners (ECC), Kumasi, Ghana. James is also a journalist by profession. He is married with four children.