Selah

I've read this word hundreds of times in the Psalms over the past 50 years or so.  It's placed 71 times there for a reason.  I really don't know if all of the psalms were put to music, but many were. 

I wasn't aware that I was pronouncing it wrong, until I looked up the pronunciation for it.  I was saying ... "See'-la" ... which isn't quite right.  I still have a problem trying to pronounce it properly.  Selah is pronounced ... "Seh'-law."  It's just plain hard for me to say correctly.

I was going to write about "Trusting God" when this word caught my attention.  Here's what I was reading ...

Psalms 46:1-3 ... "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.  Selah."

Before looking at these three verses, I needed to find out why this word Selah was placed where it was.  This particular psalm was written for music.  Evidently, the first three verses were to be sung together before taking a pause, with a suspension of the music between the third and forth verses.

The word "Selah" means just that ... "a pause" ... in both, the music and singing.  Perhaps this was to give the singers a breath, and those hearing it, a moment for reflection.

The psalmist is boldly proclaiming the fact that "God is our refuge and strength ..." amidst the storm, the shaking of our personal world, the destruction of dreams that tries to shatter our faith.  When the tempest comes ... take a breath and pause ... but we do not suspend our song because of it.  We are in no hurry because ...

If God is our refuge and strength, then we can sit down and wait while the earth dissolves, the mountains shake, and the oceans roar all around us.  It really is about ... trusting God ... what I started to write about.

God is our refuge and strength ... not our armies or vaunted impregnable fortresses.  We don't want to forget the personal possessive word ... "our" ... and make sure He is your personal refuge to run to in times of trouble.  In fact, that might be a good way to start each day ... by confessing with your mouth, "God is my refuge and my strength."

Now I want to expand on some of the words in this psalm.  The word refuge means "a shelter you can trust."  Notice it's tied to the word strength; and as used here implies "security."

God is also a very present help ... this phrase suggests "intensive present aid" or so He has been found to be.  He is close, and ready to aid; in fact ... God is more present than even the trouble itself.

Therefore ... the psalmist uses this word many times throughout this book.  When the word therefore begins a new thought, it usually means ... because of what has just been said.    

In this case it is because God is present with us; therefore we need not worry or fear about what is going on around us.  Let the worst come, whatever that may be;  God will still remain faithful ... "though the earth be removed."

When bad things happen to good people, when life's trouble shows up on your doorstep and tries to disturb your peace ... faith smiles on ... serenely, peacefully, calmly and untroubled.

Selah ... take a breath and pause ... God is our refuge and strength.

God alone, all by Himself ... without any help from anyone, made this earth and formed man ... so I believe He knows what it takes to care for each one of us.  God doesn't go on vacation and never needs a break from His work.  Therefore He can and will be there when we need Him. 

It's in the Book.