Selah!

Pretty much every morning we read a Psalm together.

Many of the Psalms include the word, “Selah.” It is meant to be a stopping point where we reflect on the significance of what we just read, even perhaps taking time to read it over again to let it sink in more fully, like a repeated chorus in a song.

As Americans we don’t Selah very well. We’re uncomfortable with stopping points. We’re bound to rush on to the next thing without truly stopping. Sometimes we’ll even skip over that word as we’re reading.

For many, 2020 represents a Selah that none of us saw coming or planned for. Instead of reflection, we grow impatient, feeling like we’re sitting at a stop light that refuses to turn green.

We’re confident that the light will turn green again, but the Lord wants us to grow in our patience and learn from this season of Selah. Reflect on some of the earlier chapters of your life, and recognize God’s incredible faithfulness. Let’s grow in our understanding and in our assurance that this season too shall pass.

Often in YES!, we point out that life in these later years may slow down, but we don’t want to give in to a full stop until God calls us home. You know the gist of what we’re trying to communicate, “Accept your challenges, pivot, and move on. Be fruitful. You’re still young enough to serve.”

Important words both precede and follow Selah, so we don’t want to permanently camp on this five-letter word. But it’s important to sometimes hit the pause button, without getting ahead of ourselves and moving on too quickly.

God wants our full attention, so let’s give it to Him during this Selah year. It will make us stronger moving forward.

Stop and think about that, as we pause to thank God for you. :)