A String of Selah Pearls (Psalm 55:107)

Positioned gracefully across the Book of Psalms is a string of seventy-one pearls, lovely beads of wisdom followed by the admonition SELAH which means, “Pause, think on these things, meditate.”

Psalm 55:1-7 “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger. My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest—I would flee far away and stay in the desert . . . Selah.”

Meditation

Like the psalmist, sometimes I feel that the pressures of life, the fiery darts of the enemy, are almost more than I can bear. Like the psalmist, I want to run off to the wilderness, live as a hermit and say goodbye to all my woes. What I must remember is—

I can’t run from trouble; I live in a fallen world. The whole creation groans under the weight of sin . . .

I can’t resist the enemy while in flight. I must stand my ground and rebuke him in the name of the Lord . .

I exchange one set of problems for another when I run away. The wilderness is full of temptations, too . .

God will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I will be able to endure . . .

My present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in me . . .

SELAH

Look up: Romans 8:22; Ephesians 6:11-13; Jude 9; Matthew 4; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Romans 8:18

A String of Selah Pearls - Psalm 46:1-3

Positioned gracefully across the Book of Psalms is a string of seventy-one pearls, lovely beads of wisdom followed by the admonition SELAH which means, “Pause, think on these things, meditate.”

Psalm 46:1-3 “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.”

Meditation:

It often takes something much less significant than earthquakes or floods to cause me to tremble with fear. Sometimes the smallest thing can catch me off guard, causing me to panic. Can you relate to that? Large or small, fears can cripple us.

What would happen if we faced our fears (maybe stomped on them a bit!) and discovered that most are mere shadows. Think how our lives would change if, instead of cowering in fear, we would turn to God, our ever present help in trouble—even imagined trouble! We would know a freedom we hadn’t experienced before.

When fears hold you back, picture yourself in Psalm 46:1-3. Mountains! They’re shaking, swelling, and falling into the middle of a raging sea. Waves! They’re crashing and foaming—the roar must be deafening. Dust and ash blacken the skies and smudge your face. You are in the midst of it, yet you are not afraid. God is with you. You are sitting in the palm of his hand. Nothing can harm you there.

And nothing can harm you here . . . .

SELAH

Look up: Psalm 91:4-7; Romans 8:38-39