Beauty & Mystery! | Psalm 3, Psalm 46, Exodus 14:14

Practice the pause. Have you ever seen this meme? When in doubt, pause. When angry, pause. When tired, pause. When stressed, definitely pause. I would throw in there when you’re hangry. Pause too. And when you pause, pray. So powerful.

I am so glad you’re here this week as we kick off a brand new series called, “The Power of the Pause.” What you and I are going to study this week is kind of a mystery. We see this one word scattered throughout the Psalms and in a few other places in the Bible, but no one really knows for sure what it means. Still it’s a beautiful word, and I believe if you and I mine it together, we’re going to find some gold. The word we’re going to study is Selah.

Scholars believe Selah was probably a musical or literary term. It might have meant silence or pause. It could also have been a musical interlude of sorts, like a pause in the voices singing while the instruments perform alone. All signs point to the pause though, right? And I don’t know about you, but I need more pauses in my life. More deep breaths, more being present in the moment. Doesn’t that sound delightful? So, let’s jump in, or should I say wait in, because we’re trying to slow down here aren’t we? Let’s see how God weaves the word Selah into his beautiful Word!

Show Links:

• Who Is Jesus?
• Have a prayer request? Leave it HERE.

Transcription:

Practice the pause. Have you ever seen this meme? When in doubt, pause. When angry, pause. When tired. Pause. When stressed. Definitely pause. I would throw in there when you’re hangry, pause too. And when you pause, pray. So powerful. Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I am so glad you’re here this week as we kick off a brand new series called, The Power of the Pause. What you and I are going to study this week is kind of a mystery. We see this one word scattered throughout the Psalms and in a few other places in the Bible, but no one really knows for sure what it means. Still it’s a beautiful word, and I believe if you and I mine it together, we’re going to find some gold. The word we’re going to study is Selah. In some Bibles instead of Selah, which by the way is a Hebrew word, it will say interlude. Scholars believe Selah was probably a musical or literary term. It might have meant silence or pause. It could also have been a musical interlude of sorts, like a pause in the voices singing while the instruments perform alone. All signs point to the pause though, right? And I don’t know about you, but I need more pauses in my life. More deep breaths, more being present in the moment. Doesn’t that sound delightful? So, let’s jump in, or should I say wade in because we’re trying to slow down here, aren’t we to Psalm three, beginning in verse one. Let’s see how God weaves the word Selah into his beautiful word.

O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!” Selah.

Okay, there’s our word. It’s our cue to pause and consider what we just read. So let’s enter the pause together. Let’s feel the silence around us for a moment here. There is nothing too hard for the Lord. There is no enemy that can come between you and the Lord. He will always rescue you. All right. Picking it up now in verse three.

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. Selah.

Let’s again enter the pause together and feel God’s speaking to us in this pocket of silence. Lord God, you are the lifter of my head and the lifter of the head of my friend who is listening. You are a shield protecting us all of the time. You hear our prayers, Lord, and you answer them. You are so good. Oh, feels good to take a deep breath, doesn’t it? Okay, here we go. Picking it up in verse five.

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! 8 Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people. Selah.

Wow, that is an emotionally charged Psalm, isn’t it? David begins sharing his anguish, sharing his troubles with the Lord. But do you notice as we paused, David gained his confidence because it was placed squarely in the Lord his God. And our confidence can be squarely placed in the Lord our God as well. When you and I pause when we begin to remember how loved we are, how God is our Father, our protector, our shield, the one who lifts our heads high, that’s the power of the pause to stop for just a moment in this crazy busy life, and remember how good he is, and how loved we are. So what do you say? Let’s read one more Psalm together. Psalm 46, beginning in verse one.

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Selah.

Okay, let’s enter into the pause. When everything is chaos around us, God is still the order in the chaos, he is still in control. Picking it up in verse four.

A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel[b] is our fortress. Selah.

Let’s enter the pause together. God and his heavenly army of angels is fighting for you today. He tells us in Exodus chapter 14, verse 14, I will fight for you, verse eight now.

Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Selah.

Oh Lord, it is good to be still in your presence. Thank you. Thank you that you invite us into this peace. We can have this any moment of any day. We praise you that not only are you out there fighting for us in our circles of influence, but you are right here to the Lord of heaven’s armies is here among us. We praise you, Lord. I feel like I’m better for having paused with you today. Till next time you are loved.

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life.

Find more podcasts that will recharge you at onpurposely.com.