You know how people designate words for their year? And then they'll post about it on social media?
Well, the other day in the library I was reading an introduction to a book, for the first time in my life probably ever, and she was describing to me this special gift she had received from someone she had just met. The gift was tied with one requirement, to enjoy it.
My brain just did this little sigh, and I thought to myself, 'Selah.' In fact, throughout the whole introduction, I thought of this word over and over again. This sentence then followed into my head, 'My word for this year is selah.' I was kind of annoyed by the thought. I was never really a big fan of the trendy Christian Instagram posts about people's words of the year. Probably a bit out of jealousy since I hadn't been graced with one. But there was the sentence, plain and simple. And now, here I am, here to report my word for the year and all the mysterious, wonderful depth to it.
Selah is a term that is used most often in Psalms after the end of a sequence of thoughts. The actual word is transliterated, meaning that the spelling is sounded out so we can read and pronounce it. It is not translated because there isn't a word for it in English. In fact, the meaning of Selah is a bit of a mystery. No one actually knows the exact definition. Based on literary clues and context, the word is thought to mean potentially a few things:
To pause.
To praise.
To lift up.
To weigh the meaning of.
To reflect.
Forever.
Eternal.
It occurs 71x in the book of Psalms and 3x in the book of Habakkuk. It is speculated to be a musical term, notation, or expression possibly meaning to pause for instrumental time and space.
Here's an example:
But you, Oh Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord and He answered me from His holy hill.
Selah
Selah is always separated from the sentences above it or before it. It's like it's own small entity amidst the ideas of the song, inviting you to relate, contemplate, take a break, and soak in the meaning of all of the words put together before it.
And I feel like the small selah at the end of these songs are similar to the small moments in the day where time is intended for reflection, the time driving in a car, the walk in and out of work, the time right before sleep, the first moments of the day. This is the sweet spot and a place where we find a set-apartness. A pause. A reflection. A little bit of mystery. A Selah.
Holidays are Selah. Music is Selah. Expression is Selah. Writing is Selah. Sabbaths are Selah. Worship is Selah. Moments are Selah.
And this is something special. It's a mysterious word, with a musical suggestion, a soft sound to it, and a reminder to pause and reflect. I think of that special gift with the words 'enjoy it' reflected back in this word Selah. To enjoy, to savor, to make your way around the entirety of something, its meaning, and then looping back to see where it attaches to you. Might I invite you to practice this in your daily life?
Selah
