Selah

Have you ever noticed the word selah when reading through the Psalms? It seems there is debate among scholars as to the exact meaning of the word; however, numerous theologians contend that the word was used to indicate a pause in public worship or chanting. After praising the Creator or calling upon His mighty acts, the priests would call for selah, which allowed the congregation to stop and reflect on the meaning. For instance, Psalm 46:10-11 states:

Be still and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted over the earth.

The LORD of Hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Here, the term punctuates a powerful declaration of God’s sovereignty. They were to be still and know God, and selah invited the worshiper to stop and contemplate this divine truth instead of hurriedly moving on to the next verse. This pattern also emerges in Habakkuk 3, where selah follows descriptions of the LORD’s might, suggesting a call to pause and revere God’s awesome work.

I wasn’t aware of this until now, but The Amplified Bible adds to their translation “pause, and calmly think of that” to each verse where selah appears: “All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!” (Psalms 66:4)

It’s a stop light reminding us to pause and consider what our response should be to the passage we just read. Are we rejoicing over the things God is doing in our lives, or are we simply taking it as our due as if God owed us? Worse yet, are we taking the credit ourselves?

Let’s be honest here, that’s easy to do. Think back with me to the story of King Nebuchadnezzar found in Daniel 4. God had already sent him a dream warning him to stop sinning and do what was right; however, we are told that a year later he walked out of the roof of his palace and said, “‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.” (Daniel 4:30)

There was no repentance in that statement and God’s judgement came swiftly. Nebuchadnezzar soon found himself eating grass out in the field like a beast, and his sanity was not restored until he looked up to heaven and “worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever.” (Daniel 4:34)

That was quite the object lesson that God gave Nebuchandnezzar, and I don’t think any of us relish the thought of snacking on hay in a pasture. Therefore, we too need to learn how to step away from the distractions of our day and focus on God’s Word. We need to pause and consider what he is calling us to do.

I feel that I have come to a selah moment in my own life, because after 32 years, I am retiring from Texas Farm Bureau. I’ve never actually mentioned the name of the company that I work for, but since I’m retiring, I figured why not.

During these past three decades, God has taken me, his messed up prodigal daughter, and shaped me to look a little more like his Son Jesus. When I think back on who I was that May morning when I walked into the building for the first time, I barely recognize her. I truly am a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  

However, the last thing Satan wanted to happen was for me to lead a Bible Study at Farm Bureau. Thus, he whispered the lie that he has duped humanity with since the garden, “Did God really say?” And I kept shouting back, “Yes He Did!”

Without a doubt I know that was God’s call on my life, and what an incredible experience it has been. I’ve seen lives transformed and walls torn down. Every obstacle Satan threw at us God dealt with in ways we never could have imagined because that is who our God is. He is the mighty Warrior who saves; however, over the years, I seem to have forgotten that God is not a silent God.

I did not count myself, but my Google search revealed that “The Lord said” is found 413 times in Scripture. It stands to reason that if God spoke that many times throughout the thousand plus years that it took to write the entirety of the Bible, that he is still speaking now.

It’s like the daily prayer of the Jews found in Deuteronomy 6, which begins, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (6:4) Shema is the first word of the prayer and it means “hear.” I read, though, that a truer translation would be “listen listening,” which means to listen with your whole person so that God’s words are able to sink down through your ears and into your heart where they can take root.

How often, though, am I pausing, selah, to “listen listening” to God?

To be honest, not as much as I should because I’ve knew for quite some time that God was positioning me to retire. Things were lining up that only he could do, but I wouldn’t pull the trigger because I was afraid. Big questions kept circling in my mind like vultures: What would I do with my days? Would I be bored? But the one that kept raising its ugly head was money - would we have enough?

Over the years, I have grown very dependent on my paycheck and the security it brings. There is money in the bank, food in the refrigerator, a nice car in my garage, and I have not wanted to admit what God was making painfully clear to me. I have been putting my trust in my paycheck more than him.

I know as well as anyone what Scripture has to say on the subject: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:10) The love of money leads you away from God, and I now wonder how close I came to eating hay like Nebuchadnezzar when I pretended not to hear God’s call to retire. However, he dealt with me as swiftly as he did the prideful king…. God neatly pushed me out of the boat.

In the days following my decision to retire, we were in Abilene celebrating our great-nephew’s baby dedicated at church. Terrence Mullings was the guest preacher, and it was one of those sermons where you felt as though the pastor was speaking directly to you. He said if you find yourself stuck, it could be that you are living on an old word from God. Our God is not static, and he does have new things for us to do - new horizons, new missions. However, we have to listen and obey.

God then spoke into my heart and said, “Shema, Lisa. It’s time for you to pause and calmly think of that.”

Friends, as I have said so many times before, on the other side of obedience is peace. What is God calling me to? I’m not sure, but I am going to pause, selah, and mediate on who he is, how great he is, and when he is ready for me to move again, I will be ready.

For the glory of God! Lisa

Discussion Questions

Has there been a time when God asked you to pause and consider? How did you respond?

If someone were to ask, “How do you hear God?” How would you answer?

I’ve heard that pride is the root of all sin. Why do you think that is true?