You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah
The word Selah appears many times in the Psalms. I, not knowing what it meant or related to, just skipped over it whenever I came across it in the text. But in a daily devotions study I am doing the author pointed out that Selah means to 'pause, and calmly think of that.'
This got me thinking about the way I read Scripture - Do I ever pause, and think calmly about anything I've read? Not that I can recall...I just rush through the words trying to make sense of what I'm reading, but most likely missing a lot of key points along the way. I think the fact that I've read many Psalms in my life and never once stopped to ponder the meaning of Selah or wonder of it's purpose shows my carelessness as a reader. Yet, it seems more beneficial to really study specific scriptures, to analyze the meaning, to question, and soak it all in, so that the Word can have some true power in my life. How can I change the way I've always done things? Through God and prayer of course!
So, for the past couple of days since I've discovered the meaning of this one word, I have been focusing on just one passage, or even just one scripture, during my daily devotions. I'm trying to read it multiple times, and pray about anything I don't understand. I'm asking God to open up my heart and my mind so that I can really learn what He wants me to do. I wish I could report some amazing epiphany that has occurred since this change in my Bible reading habits, but that isn't the case, nor really the point I guess.
People say that Selah was just put into the Psalms as a musical direction for the performers to pause or take a breath when singing that specific Psalm. This does make a lot of sense to me. But I think the sentiment, to pause and think quietly about what you just read or heard, could be applied to any section of the Bible and really bless our time spent in Scripture.
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