Many religions and spiritual pathways use hand gestures in practice. They are often used to convey meaning, or to meditate upon an idea, or to inspire healing, increase energy and power.
In this article, there is a fun discussion regarding hand gestures portrayed by Christ in art work:
So I was wondering how many of you use hand gestures in your time with God, in prayer or in meditation. How has it increased your well being, your Spiritual growth, or helped in healing?
It is said that even the wealthiest and most powerful people utilize these practices. For example,
President Trunp, his son Erik, and I believe many of the tech gurus use these gestures to focus, succeed, and inspire well being in their own lives. And if it is good enough for the wealthiest, why shouldn’t we follow their example?
I wouldn’t call it a hand gesture. But part of my ordinary prayer life involves regularly making the sign of the cross. It’s just part of my prayer life. The sign of the cross is an ancient Christian devotional practice going back to the earliest centuries of the Jesus Movement, and it serves a double-purpose: Since the sign of the cross probably originated in baptism where it was made over the one being baptized, “in the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit”, it has served an important purpose in Christian life to remind us of our baptism and what our baptism means; it also most obviously serves the purpose to draw our attention to Jesus Himself and His Cross. By marking ourselves with the cross we are reminding ourselves of our Crucified and Risen Lord, we are both in mind, heart, body, and our words directing ourselves toward Jesus.
I don’t know about “hand gestures” generally. But I do think making the sign of the cross is a good and helpful Christian practice that is Christ-centered, and it is a potent reminder of our hope and faith in the Lord, and a remembrance of His work and of God’s promises.
There’s nothing magical about it, so nobody should think it is; it’s merely a useful practice that can be helpful in directing our thoughts and words to be about Jesus in prayer, both spoken prayer and silent prayer.
Sometimes I will simply make the sign of the cross while in my mind focused on Christ, I may pray something short and simple in a moment of weakness or fear, “Lord help me”. And we have the promise and assurance that our God hears our prayers, and that even the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us in groanings too deep for words. We have a good and gracious Father who loves us, and we have a good Savior who saves us, and we have the Holy Spirit who lives in us–we can trust the promises of God, we can trust in the Lord. “Trust in the Lord, always. For the Lord Himself is an everlasting Rock.” (Isaiah 26:4)