Selah

First of all, if you like quizzes, I found one about Advent.  Here's the link:  Advent Quiz.  I sincerely hope that you do better than I did.  Trick questions, I say!

I was looking at an Advent devotional for today, and the scripture that was used in this particular devotional was Psalm 67:

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us 

and make his face to shine upon us, 

                                                              Selah 

2 that your way may be known upon earth, 

your saving power among all nations. 

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; 

let all the peoples praise you. 

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, 

for you judge the peoples with equity 

and guide the nations upon earth. 

                                                             Selah 

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; 

let all the peoples praise you. 

6 The earth has yielded its increase; 

God, our God, has blessed us. 

7 May God continue to bless us; 

let all the ends of the earth revere him. 

I don't have a lot to say about the psalm, actually. The first thing that I noticed when I read it was the word "Selah." This is a word that is used to give instruction to stop and think about what was just said. There are a few different thoughts about the origin of the word, but for the most part people seem to agree that "Selah" denotes a pause that is specifically placed for the purpose of really taking note of the words preceding it.

Someone recently said to me that they don't think that we should do anything differently during Advent or Lent or holidays than we do any other time. Their point was that we should always be living with intention, not just during special times. And... point taken, really: I could do better at living my life with more purpose and thoughtfulness all year long. However, I don't agree that we should not live a little differently during set-aside times of the year. I love the liturgical year, partly because it has these times. I think of Advent as a "Selah" time. These are the days when I want to pause from my routine and let the words of Jesus sink deeply into my conscious.

I hope that I can give these words the space to inform the rest of my life. I hope that when I carry on to say things like, "Let the peoples praise you, O God..." (I may not use these exact words) that they mean much more for resting and considering that God "judges the peoples with equity and guides the nations upon earth." And I hope that my interactions with people all year long are steeped in the love that comes from pausing to consider the love of God, who became a helpless baby, and then a wise young man, and then let himself be killed, to reconcile the nations to himself.

Selah.