Selah

Stop and Think About It

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"To the choirmaster, of the sons of Korah, according to Alamoth, a song. 
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 ESV

We don’t know what kind of trouble David faced when he wrote Psalm 46, but it is interesting that instead of trying to figure out his own solution, he decides to write a song. In the first line of his lyrics, he starts to remind himself of who God is and how He always comes through to help.

The intriguing feature of David’s song is that he divides it into three parts, and at the end of each one he writes the word, “Selah”, which can be roughly translated, “Stop and think about that for a moment.” David wants us to remember that when we face dangers and difficulties, instead of panicking, and running away, or running to the wrong place for help, we need to stop and think about God’s faithfulness, power and love. Now, we don’t necessarily need to write ourselves a song like David did to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness, though that’s not a bad idea. Just begin singing the words of Psalm 46 in your heart. God doesn’t care what melody you use. Then, no matter what happens, remember that we can always trust in Jesus. So stop what you’re doing and think about that!

Holy Saturday – The Selah of God

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Many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah Psalm 3:2 ESV

WE find the curious word “Selah” sprinkled here and there among the Psalms. Most scholars believe its meaning is similar to that of a rest in a musical composition. At a “Selah” moment, we are to pause and reflect on the melody that came before it and then prepare for what is to follow. In the same way, between the death of Christ on Friday and His resurrection on Sunday morning, is the Selah of Saturday when Jesus rested in the grave. No important activities, no miracles, or signs are mentioned in any of the gospels during those twenty-four hours. While the enemies of Christ were busy posting a guard, sealing the tomb, and worrying about His prophecy of rising from the dead, His followers simply went home and rested on the Sabbath. If, like those early disciples, you have been rocked by events beyond your control, and you are hiding behind closed doors, maybe it is God’s invitation to rest. Maybe He is offering this “Selah” moment, to look back and remember, not just the immediate difficulty, but also the many blessings that God has given in the past. He has given us life, and in Jesus we have hope and a home in Heaven. We have received God’s promises, His presence, and His precious Holy Spirit to comfort us. We have His mercy to forgive our sins and His grace to strengthen us in weakness. And on this quiet Holy Saturday, between the cross and resurrection morning we have this Selah of Saturday, when by faith we put all our hope in God and rest in His arms while we wait for the stone to roll away!

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Finding God’s Peace

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I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ESV

Sometimes it may feel as if God is playing a game, by putting the peace that we need under one of three shells, and leaving it up to us to guess where He has it hidden. But, Jesus makes it clear that the peace we need so much can be found in Him, and He didn’t leave our finding it to chance. I like the way that the King James renders this verse, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might find peace.” When Jesus says, “These things,” He means, all of His teachings, from loving our enemies, to forgiving our brothers and sisters, or trusting in Him alone for salvation, were spoken, not to make us miserable. Instead everything Jesus ever taught was so that in Him we could have peace. God already knows about our problem, and He is not asking for us to guess where to find the answer as we face it. He has promised that in troubles of every kind, we can find peace in Him, because He has already overcome them. He endured the terrible agony of the cross, still remaining faithful until death to His Father’s will, so that we could have His amazing and miraculous peace. In what area of your life do you desperately need God’s peace today? Bring it to Him in prayer, trusting that He already knows and has already overcome and He longs for you and I to have His peace in every situation because He loved us more than His own life.

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