SELAH
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the 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 of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah (Psalm 46 NKJ)
Hello Friends,
I have to be honest about where I am at these days with all the turmoil in the world. I feel helpless! On a macro level, I see the world unraveling at warp speed. Chaos, wars, protests – I was born in 1964, and as long as I can remember, Israel has always been at war with someone; or should I say, trying to defend its right to exist as a nation, while others try to destroy her. There have always been riots in the streets in the USA, for as long as I can remember. There has always been poverty and famine on massive scale; wars and rumors of wars on a global measure; economic crises; mass disease scares, etc. Actually…this is the history of humanity as we know it. The pages of our Bible record a world, a people in rebellion to God, and in chaos without Him. On a micro level, as I interact with people in my own sphere of influence, people are struggling with illness, death, financial burdens, emotional and mental stress, etc. On Wednesdays a few of us have been going out to witness to the reality of Christ and His kingdom, encouraging people to turn to Him. This past Wednesday we met a man from a far away country whose father-in-law just passed away. His wife can’t go visit her family for the funeral because she is still not a permanent resident, nor citizen of Canada. We met another man, 70 years old, who was blind from birth in one eye, and can dimly see in the other - he is legally blind. Another woman had pain all over her face as she wore the scars of a difficult life of hurt and mistreatment. The world is a difficult and often ugly place, and we witness so on our screens daily…if we choose to pay attention. And, let me be honest again…even for the follower of Jesus, life can be and often is very challenging – lots of us struggling with lots of issues. But for the true Bible-believing Christian, there is hope…if we pause to focus on it.
Psalm 46, one of my favorites, centers us on the Rock of security and the anchor for our souls – God is our refuge and strength, our help! In the midst of the chaos of life…sing the truth of our faith! That’s what a psalm is all about – centering us on the One who holds it all together. Psalms are the Hebrew’s Hymnal. They speak of life’s challenges and refocus the worshipper on God who is in control of everything! The Psalms also contain musical terminology, of which we may not fully know the meaning, but we can figure out their general intent. Selah is one of those musical terms, which according to scholars means either “pause”, or “emphasize” with instruments/voices. Either way, the worshipper is to really take note of what is being sung. Psalm 46 has three Selahs, which really strike me as to their positioning. In the middle of the roaring waters and mountain quaking…Selah – pause, reflect, focus on our refuge and strength and help in trouble. From the chaos, our song takes us heavenward to the city of God, where God is enthroned, and God is with us, and the power of His voice changes everything. Again, we are reminded that God is our help and refuge…Selah – pause, reflect, focus on our future reality free from pain, wars and tears, where peace is the rule of the day. Lastly, we are reminded that God will one day step in and will cause all conflict to end. He will be exalted and will rule the world with justice and righteousness, in peace and joy…Selah – pause, reflect, focus and be still and know that He is God and will bring about His purposes in His timing.
I guess, in the end, I am supposed to feel helpless. I can’t help anyone; all I can do is point people to the One whom is our refuge and strength and ever present help, and tell them about the future God has planned for the world, which is only promised to those who trust in His Son Christ Jesus – Psalm 2 – Selah!
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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