If you\u2019ve ever read much in the Psalms, the prayerbook and hymnal of ancient Israel, you\u2019ve come across a word that gives many Bible scholars pause. Literally.<\/p>\n
The word is \u201cselah.\u201d It occurs frequently in the Psalms. For example, it occurs three times in Psalm 3, after verse 2, verse 4 and at the end of the Psalm. It appears twice in Psalm 4, after verses 2 and 4. In fact, \u201cselah\u201d is used 71 times in the Psalms.<\/p>\n
But no one knows for sure what the word means. Many think it was a musical instruction, since 31 of the 39 psalms that are addressed \u201cTo the choirmaster\u201d use the term. Thus, it may have been used to indicate a musical interlude or pause in the music.<\/p>\n
Whatever \u201cselah\u201d meant to ancient Israelites, it can be a part of your prayer life. You can turn pauses into prayer. For example, as you end a phone call in the middle of your workday, pause for a moment; inhale deeply as if inviting God\u2019s presence to infill you, and then exhale slowly while imagining Him going ahead of you into the rest of your day.<\/p>\n
Or while driving, when you come to a stop sign, instead of rolling through the intersection as you usually do, leave your foot on the brake for a moment while you inhale deeply and exhale slowly.<\/p>\n
You can enjoy a \u201cselah moment\u201d before speaking to a friend, coworker or group. You might even interrupt a business meeting or a shopping excursion with such a pause.<\/p>\n
Even without words (though of course there\u2019s nothing wrong with adding a spoken prayer at such times), a \u201cselah moment\u201d or two\u2014or more\u2014in the course of your day can increase an awareness of God\u2019s presence and a sense of His closeness.<\/p>\n
Such pauses can have an added effect such as relieving stress, increasing your composure or\u2014in the case of the stop sign\u2014avoiding a traffic citation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you\u2019ve ever read much in the Psalms, the prayerbook and hymnal of ancient Israel, you\u2019ve come across a word that gives many Bible scholars pause. Literally. The word is \u201cselah.\u201d It occurs frequently in the Psalms. For example, it occurs three times in Psalm 3, after verse 2, verse 4 and at the end […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":31169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[397],"tags":[14,72],"ppma_author":[465],"class_list":["post-25066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-quotes-verses","tag-spiritual-growth","tag-stories-of-faith"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n