Selah ...

"God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

Selah

...

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

...

Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

...
"
~Psalm 46 (NIV)

It is not uncommon to find the Psalm littered with the word "Selah". The word "Selah" is a musical term used in the Psalms to signal the proclamation of something profound that has been said or sung and at the same time a time for a pause. Someone once paraphrased the word as "Pause and let that sink in".

Tonight I learnt of the use of this word as used in the psalms as a moment of pause that calls for a time of reflection. There is a very significant message that the Psalmist would like us to ponder upon as he wrote in the above and that is found in the verse 10 "Be still and know that I am God". Interestingly, the Psalm is filled with description of chaos, trouble, destruction and desolation. Yet, the Lord calls us to "be still". The original translation simply means to "stop!" akin to saying "Do nothing!".

It is one extremely difficult command for humans to obey. It is instinctive in our nature to strive to resolve the trouble at hand. You would never think of shouting "Stop!" or "Do nothing" when there is a fire break-out in a house. The natural tendency is to run, rush and do something.

However, here, the psalmist does not necessarily mean literally to physically stop and do nothing, but to mean that when trouble comes in the way of Christians, the response of one that has come to know the Lord intimately would not be fear, but one of rest and peace, knowing that God is in control.

In the same sentence, the psalmist also emphasizes that the product of being still in the Lord, is that we would know that He is God. "Be still" also carries with it the meaning of God's calling us to a habitual ministry of silence and solitude away from the noisy clamour of the loud world, in a secluded place where listening results in clarity.

Take time to exercise a ministry of silence and solitude for it is through these moments God's voice is heard clearly.