It’s usually one of the highlights of my week. It gives me more time to
sleep in, rest, read, reflect, pray, write, or just hang around and wait for
what the no-agenda day has in store for me: could be an unplanned date with
friends, time to curl up with a book, a lazy day with my computer (facebooking,
chatting, blogging), opportunity for baking and cooking experiments and for a
bit of cleaning up, or could be a space to just enjoy the warmth and silence of
home.
Saturdays mean rest for me.
But this week (while away from home on a work-related travel), I’ve
been learning about a different kind of rest. One that does not just happen on
a Saturday, but the kind that truly gives you a break any time of day and week!
Have you encountered the word, “selah”? It’s actually a musical term that signifies a
pause or an interlude. I have come across this word several times while reading
the book of Psalms. I consulted Google and discovered more about it - Selah is to:
- stop and listen
- weigh and value
- hang
- worship (in Aramaic)
- break
- reflect and understand
- pause and calmly think of that! (as written in the Amplified Bible)
I have a very active mind. My imagination can go really out of control –
to my disadvantage sometimes. I worry a lot – most often about things that are
not true or never will be true. In a sense, my mind is noisy, thus making my
heart restless. But this week, I’ve seen how my heart longs to have the Selah it needs:
To stop and listen. I’m here
in busy and noisy Bangkok. But it’s such a sweet surprise to be having a
meeting in a guest home that offers quiet rest amidst chirping birds and trees
that make a rain-like sound. It’s so easy to ignore this nature-produced music,
in the same way that we could miss God’s still small voice if we are not
attentive. To hear Him, we need to quiet
our minds and hearts and kill the nagging sound of worries, paranoia, fears, disappointments,
and sadness. Then, really listen…and hear. He has so much to say.
To weigh and value. We make
plans and life sometimes happens totally different from our hopes and
expectations. How do we respond? To rest is to let every circumstance fade in
the glowing light of God’s will. We measure our experiences against the weight
of the wonderful plans that God has for us. Then, we realize that our momentary
troubles mean nothing compared to the surpassing value of having God in our
lives. His presence and promises far outweigh anything that this life could
throw at us. We fix our eyes on Him. We rest our hearts in His and trust His good, pleasing and perfect will.
To hang and just worship. Have
you been in situations that felt like you’re against the wall? You don’t know
what to do. No more space for another step – it’s dead end! You’re left
hanging. That’s a “selah moment”. While you’re there hanging and helpless, just
worship. Think about who God has been, is and will be to you. Let go of the
need to move and let God move mightily on your behalf. You’ll realize that
being left hanging can be turned into restful waiting for God to intervene and
remove you from where you are.
It’s Saturday today. I slept in, read a bit, reflected on my week, prayed,
went online, and wrote this. This afternoon, I plan to go out, eat and shop. It will be noisy and crowded outside but I’ll keep my mind and my
heart on Selah mode.
Rest happens in the heart in full trust, complete reliance and confident leaning upon the Lord. In our hearts, God is there. Wherever God
is, we can find rest.
Selah: pause and calmly think of that!
The LORD
replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
– Exodus 33:14
