Selah Moments

 

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You
maybe found . . . You are my hiding place. You preserve me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. Psalm 32.6-7

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/245834

 

What is worship?  How do we worship a God we cannot see?  Is worship just when we’re singing praise songs to God?

A discussion for the ages, I know.  But I’m not letting that stop me from sharing with you something I’ve come to understand this summer through my perusal of the Psalms.  This isn’t meant to be a "BE ALL, END ALL" discussion on worship but a starting point that just might get you thinking, talking, discussing – which is always good!

There is a very small word in the Psalms that crops up all over the place.  It’s the word, “Selah”.  In some translations it’s interpreted as, “Interlude”.  I was reminded of a long ago sermon when the pastor explained that Selah was there to remind us to, “pause and think about what we had just read.”

Remembering that Psalms are songs I wondered what those Selah Moments, those musical interludes, must have been like for the Israelites as they were singing those songs.  And then, I thought about the praise and worship times at my church and I realized we have Selah Moments as well.  Those times when the band plays a musical interlude and I am silent. 

I confess, I’ve often wondered why they play those interludes.  Am I supposed to be impressesd?  Is this just a time to admire the skill of those who are playing?

But what if those are times that God is calling me to stop and think about what I’ve just sung?  What if He wants me to reflect on the words I’ve just proclaimed and ask myself, “Do I believe what I just sang or are they just words?

Another confession . . . (since confession frees the soul!) Most of the time I find myself thinking about all the things I have to do when I get home. 

BUT what if God wants more from me? . . . What if those “Selah Moments” are worship opportunities, as well?  Occasions to worship and adore my Heavenly Father in the most intimate way possible – in my silence.

The next time you find yourself in church and the band, organ, or whatever musical instruments you might have, are playing a musical interlude . . . don’t let that Selah Moment slip by . . .  I challenge you to worship Him in your singing and in your silence!