Wednesday, November 23, 2022

EmmDev 2022-11-23 [Rest for the Weary] The art of the Pause

The art of the Pause

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 (Psalms46:1-11)


The word Selah occurs in a number of Psalms. It is a puzzle to commentators and scholars because there are no indications as to what this word actually means. We only find it in Psalms and in Habakkuk's song of praise and not in any other literature.

The best guess that scholars have as to what the word means is that it may indicate a "rest" for the singers while the musicians play a musical interlude. Many have suggested that "Selah" means "stop and think" or "reflect."

When we find it in the psalms it is almost always in the right spot for the "stop and think" interpretation to be correct...

Here in Psalm 46 "Selah" helps us understand the Psalm better as it divides the Psalm into three parts:

  1. God is our refuge in trouble of all kinds....
    (Stop and think about that!)
  2. God has a city with a river (the Holy Spirit) for us and He will defend us
    (Stop and think about that!)
  3. God is more powerful than the agents of chaos and we have to turn from them and trust in Him.
    (Stop and think about that!)

But the "Selah" word also draws our attention to the refrain that is uttered, refined and repeated:

  • "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble"
  • The LORD Almighty is with us;the God of Jacob is our fortress.
  • The LORD Almighty is with us;the God of Jacob is our fortress.
When it rumbles Ps 46 calls us to "stop.... and think":
The LORD Almighty is with us;the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Very often, when we are weary then setbacks trip us up and our immediate reactions are: "Not again!" or "I can't take this any more!" But before we go into "panic mechanic mode," we need to learn the "art of the pause": That we "Selah" for a moment and say "God is my refuge and my strength an ever-present help in trouble..."


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