Selah
Selah — to “pause” or to “praise”
SELAH MOMENTS & EMBRACING LIFE’S IN-BETWEENS
Selah is the word that we often see in the Scripture’s Old Testament, especially in the book of Psalms. Aside from it being a cool sounding name to a future daughter, this word has deeper meanings. This word or phrase had been imprinted on my heart so strongly especially in the season that I am in.
Just like how Selah was used between the lines in some of our favorite psalms, I am convinced that we really could use some of these Selah moments to keep us sane in this journey with Jesus. Last week, we have talked about the Christian lifecycle which depicts various seasons and changes that we go through in life. This lifecycle of ours could include countless highs and lows, twists and turns, ascending and descending; but nevertheless, God is constant and present at every point (represented by the upward-sloping line). The most crucial and defining moments of our lives are what I call the “Selah moments” — which are represented by each intersection points.
In simpler sense, Selah moments are the short downtimes during the day — devotion time, breakfast/coffee run, commute time, break time, etc. In the bigger picture, it could be the short 3 to 5 days vacation from work, a period of waiting between the last job to the new one, a recess/break from school, or even an engagement period before a wedding. These are the “touchpoint” wherein we either choose to see God or not. These are also important transitional avenues that stir our fate based on the kind of response or decision we make regarding our situations.
Chuck Missler, Koinonia House
“Selah does connect the end of one strophe with the beginning of the next; and, in four cases it connects the end of one Psalm with the beginning of the next, thus uniting the two Psalms (Ps 3 with 4; 9 with 10; 24 with 25; and 46 with 47). Selah is, thus, a connector: it connects the two passages between which it is placed. However, it appears that selah is to connect with subject matter, not with music; with truth, not tunes. It is a "thought-link" which bids us to look back at what has been said and to mark its connection with what is to follow, or to some additional consequent teaching. Thus, if it be derived from salah, "to pause," it is not the instruments of music which are to pause while voices continue to sing; but it is our hearts which are to pause and to note the connection of precious truths. If it is derived from salal, "to lift up," then it is not the instruments which are to lift up their sound in louder degree, but our hearts which are to be lifted up to consider more solemnly the two truths which are thus connected.”
Aside from introducing this word today, I also want to note 3 specific ways that hinder us to recognize our Selah moments:
We miss (or ignore) it
We make no time for it
We focus on yesterday and tomorrow, instead of the now
CATCH THE SELAH MOMENTS
(Ask: Now think about your recent Selah moment. How was it like and what did it look like?)
Personally, most of my special Selah moments happen in my car during commute hours (since I have a 2 hour commute to/fro work, one way). Honestly, if there is anyone or anything that knows more about what I’m going through in life, it is my car. It is the place where I could just speak freely with the Lord and the place where I pray, vent, cry, complain, rejoice, dream, reminisce, and worship God altogether. Both my cars, Cassie and Olive, have witnessed so much of my life that they become mine and God’s rendezvous.
Now, If you don’t think you just had your own Selah moment, you are probably wrong. It is more likely that you had just missed it. Why? Well, if you are to be honest, have you ever noticed the word “Selah” in the psalms before today’s message? In the same way, it is likely that we miss important encounters with God because of life’s busyness and endless distractions. If we don’t pay enough attention, we are likely to ignore the signs and subtle invitations of God to give Him a little bit of our time. When was the last time that you intentionally paused from the cares of life and simply rested on Jesus?
Selah moments
happen in life’s in-betweens wherein we face these kinds of situations . . .
- The unavoidable awkwardness
- Fear of the unknown
- Worry for tomorrow
- Regret of yesterday
- Unsettling anticipation
- The waiting game
- Confusion or clarity about what’s next
- Potential loss or surge of motivation
- Dreaming and hoping
- The grind itself
Now, why is it important to talk about this? I believe as Christians, we should be able to embrace these Selah moments at this time and age. We now live in a time when we are constantly bombarded by the message of instants — instant food, instant ways to be rich or successful, instant apps to date and find someone to marry, etc. Those of us who have smartphones, the world is literally at the disposal of our fingertips. Further, we’re also flooded by the idea of hard work, grind, and hustle. While being productive is a very efficient use of our time, talents, and energy, our society had callously taught us to work at the expense of our own health and relationships (just think about public accountants like myself). We are constantly told to be always on the go, to stay current, to never break the flow; otherwise, others will pass us by and get to success that we should get first.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”
Today, the idea of rest is almost unheard of, if not frowned upon. But as with God, ever since the beginning of time, rest is an important part of creation. He even paused, set the seventh day to be a holy day of rest, and took a moment to rejoice over what He’s done before starting another full day of work.
But in our generation today, more often than not we feel like 7 days a week, 24 hours a day could not even be enough to clear our plate of stuffs to do! We are the modern Martha’s of the New Testament.
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Like Martha in Luke 10:38-42, sometimes our jobs, careers, and field of service can take the first place in our hearts. Sometimes we put too much importance to our careers rather than our family. We focus more of our energy to be who want want to be rather who God sees us for who we are now and in eternity. And most of all, we dangerously tie our identity to the insatiable standards of the world. (Ask: To those of us who are young professionals, how was the process like to be where we are at right now?) For instance, we the specific generation of today’s young adults, before we can even get close to our future jobs, we work very hard in a minimum of 4 to 5 years to earn a college degree or two. Some of us even are working students who do not have the luxury to study alone because we are self-supporting. Whilst in school, recruitment starts everywhere with companies persistently wooing us and even then we start to try figure out where we will be in the next two years. There would be internships in between school breaks and then starts another full round of semesters and quarters to overcome. After getting our diplomas, we would then need to focus on building a more marketable credential to stay competitive in the corporate world.
With all these things that we need to do to get from point A to B, how do we even have a chance or make time for a little quality time with God?
MAKE TIME FOR SELAH MOMENTS
(Ask: Do we actually realize just how much we do in this season of our life and just how much there is expected of us to succeed?)
I am personally guilty of this. I am the type of person to sign up for everything . . . while forgetting that I need to commit myself to God first and foremost. Jesus is reminding us in Luke 10 about what is truly important, the one thing that actually counts and matters to life — sitting at Jesus’ feet, spending time in His presence, and consciously choosing Him as our portion. In connection to Luke 10, Psalms 16:5 says, “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot.” By this the psalmist means that we need to choose God to be our inheritance, our main blessing and provision, and our very life itself. When this become finally our truth and reality, loving God and making Him as our life priority would come almost naturally. And it will simply flow through our daily lives. Jesus promised us that this “will not be taken away” from us — these Selah moments when we pause and praise Him for the God that He is in our lives.
But as mere human beings and fallen creatures, we can still live our lives as though God is of our least priority or concern. We make many excuses to justify our lack of interest in reading our bibles. We make many rationalizations as to why going to prayer meetings or church fellowships can be inconvenient to our precious schedules. And we make many arguments as to why our short, hollow, and insincere prayers warrant God’s faithfulness in our lives. We (and me being the most guilty of this) just make a whole bunch excuses! When will God ever be important enough and what can He do to deserve a spare of our time?
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.”
FOCUS ON THE NOW
In order for us to recognize our Selah moments, we need to be fully present in the now. We need to be self-conscious with the constant inclination to God’s Spirit. It is by tuning in to God’s presence that we can hear when He speaks over our lives. It is when we actually focus on the now that we get to celebrate the in-between moments, simply because these moments exist at every given point and time. Make no mistake; every touchpoint with God is in every second we exist. These moments were not only a thing of the past nor they are a thing of the future. Spiritual encounters did not only occur when we were first saved and baptized. They are not specific opportunities like camp or retreats when we will again experience spiritual highs. But these Selah moments are happening in every waking day and in every single heartbeat, if we only choose to. We cannot afford to continue living off of a particular encounter in the past, thinking that will be enough to get us through life to the end. We cannot also simply hope for future provisions, knowing that our borrowed life is at the hands of God who is completely sovereign in our existence. And we need to start wanting for new and fresh encounters with the Lord now, knowing and loving God closer and deeper than ever before.
But it is understandable that we might get bogged down by what is in the now. Life could be very difficult and exhausting and problems could be crippling and demotivating. Sometimes too, it is really hard to celebrate the in-between moments because our lack of appreciation or gratefulness supersedes our ability to be content with where God has placed us. Our wrong intentions and selfish aspirations could get the best of us too when we resist what God is teaching us in the current season that we are in. Pastor Bruce would always say that sometimes whatever God is doing right now never makes sense until we see it later in life. It is really hard to see things clearly while we are still in the mud because our vision is impaired, but it doesn’t mean that there is no point for us to go through it. At times like this when we would rather put our lives on fast-forward to get to the end goal, the key is knowing how to trust in the process and to allow God to move in our situations. With the grace and mercy that God had given us, we all need:
To fight any urge to give up on life’s endless trials and hurdles and to keep motivated for what God has in store in the future
To hold on to the joy from our past successes, to celebrate them with our loved ones, and to give credit to God’s glory
To humble ourselves by acknowledging that we have a long road ahead of us but celebrating how far we have come due to God’s faithfulness
To embrace the season that we are in and to make the best out of it by taking in God’s teachings and revelations to heart
To surrender our fears, doubts, anxiety, pain, confusion, and desires to God even when nothing makes sense
To learn the value of waiting and being patient in the process regardless of how long it takes
To appreciate our Selah moments knowing that God has His hands in our every situation and that He is our Helper in times of need
PRAYER
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah”