Selah –– Pause
Imagine sitting in Carnegie Hall and listening to a soloist, in concert. Then in the middle of the song, the psalmist stops. There is this long pause. Sitting there, one can only imagine what is taking place.
Did they forget the next line? Maybe all of a sudden, the person began to feel ill. Or perhaps, the song is over. Well, that is an odd place to end.
That which only lasted a quick second in time would probably seem like an eternity to those seated in the audience.
Psalm 61:4 reads: I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
When reading through the Book of Psalms, we experience moments like this. One can be reading a chapter, and then at the end of the verse, there is this word –– Selah. A word that we do not see regularly, and it is not a word used as a part of our everyday conversation. So, what is the meaning of this word? What is its origin? Can you use it in a standard sentence, please?
The word Selah is a musical notation that can mean pause or silence. A Hebrew word that occurs seventy-one times in the Book of Psalms and three times in the Book of Habakkuk. And check this out “Selah” is the name of a song by R&B, Hip-Hop artist, Lauryn Hill. Go figure. Apparently, she needed to pause.
Nevertheless, what could the musician have been experiencing when he injected the Selah? Perhaps he needed a quick breath. Maybe, he needed a moment of silence.
There are times, in our lives, when we have to stop and Selah –– take a quick breath. You have probably said these words before, “Let me catch my breath”. Breathing in and breathing out can do a world of good when we are overwhelmed –– overwhelmed with work, overwhelmed with people tugging at us from different angles, overwhelmed with the cares of the world, and the list can go on and on. However, it is in the moments of exhaling when the weight that burdens us is released.
The other theory is silence. The proverb says silence is golden. Perhaps, the musician was observing a moment of quietness before the Lord waiting in anticipation for God to serenade him. Or perchance, maybe he was patiently waiting for God to respond to a prayer he had made known. No matter what the reason could have been, the writer felt it was necessary to take a minute to pause for the silence.
Psalm 46:10, begins, Be still, and know that I am God. And yet, at times, it is hard for us to be still.
You cannot find God in chaos or noise. Silence and stillness are needed in order to hear Him. Remember Elijah’s encounter? He received this revelation while standing on a mountain in the presence of the Lord. God told Elijah to go out and stand before Him. Then behold, a hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. That is where Elijah found God, in the whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12, MSG)
Are you listening for God today? Do you need to hear a word from Him now?
My challenge for you this week is to Selah. Take a moment to pause in His presence. And you will find that it is the best sixty-second investment made in a week.
Join me next time for Coffee on The Couch.