Holiday Rhythms: Selah
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Welcome, ladies. I picture you with a cup of coffee and maybe a friend. And I smile while writing this, because you are taking time to pause and learn about SELAH today. I am Debbie Briggs and I ask you to read the following sentence two times v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y:
“I don’t know what I don’t know.”
“I don’t know what I don’t know.”
It initially sounds like a crazy statement, but is it?
Think about it and try to recall the introductory podcast to this series, Holiday Rhythms. If you haven’t already heard it, we invite you to listen in as the media team introduces the topic of Holiday Rhythms. The beauty of the Central Women online media resource is that it can be accessed any time.
Of all people, Moses, one of the greatest leaders of all times, didn’t know what he didn’t know (until it was revealed to him). On the podcast, and then later in our videos and blogposts, we reiterate from Exodus 18 that Moses was on the verge of burnout. He thought he was doing what God wanted him to do by overseeing every legal case that was set before him. In this scenario, it was his father-in-law, Jethro, who said, “Moses, what you are doing is not good.” Surprise to Moses, those great and wonderful things he was achieving were just too much for one person. Jethro led him to his aha moment when Moses realized there was a better way: in this case, he was to train other capable men and to divide the work. He didn’t know what he didn’t know … until Jethro revealed to Moses a tidbit of advice that could help him and those around him. If you haven’t read Exodus 18, I urge you to do so. It was a game changer for me.
Do you have aha moments? If so, when do they unfold? For me, my aha moments usually come in two ways: when God is trying to get my attention or when God uses people to get my attention. Can you relate to this? In both cases, if I do not pause and listen and stop doing, I cannot receive that custom-made message from our Creator. Sadly, I am sure there are times when I do not listen.
Early in the morning when I read the Bible (and then when I reflect and pray afterwards) is when I hear most from God. In fact, I sometimes get so excited that I have to write the thoughts down. At times it means texting, calling, or writing a person. A thought for future writing may enter my brain that I know did not come from me. I may even be nudged to contact a person who has not been directly in my life for quite awhile. And when that happens, many times the response is: “How did you know I needed you to text me today, Debbie?” All I can say is that I get no credit for those nudges, other than at that time, I was intentional to be still.
The second way I usually experience aha moments is through a person. In the Exodus 18 narrative, it was through Jethro that Moses was driven to action. Jethro’s words: “If you do this (referring to training and dividing the work) you will be able to stand the strain, and all of these people will go home satisfied.” If you listened to the podcast before watching the three videos and reading the accompanying blog posts, you will remember that it was through Jethro that Moses changed his narrative: he finally knew what he didn’t know: an aha moment for Moses.
I mentioned in the Holiday Rhythms podcast that Exodus 18 was shared to me by a friend. Ladies, her time with me had so much impact that I am sharing her life-changing words more than forty years later to other women. I have grown to appreciate that women need women; we really do need each other. I needed her to keep me from a life tailspin. Years later, I am in constant need of my female community to still keep me from life tailspins. I am greatly impacted by the women that I work with on this media content team who speak into my life and some of yours. Linh Bashara spoke to us via her video and blogpost on hospitality. Friends, Linh is an incredible giver in the area of godly hospitality. Did you listen to Christine Barela on her video and did you read her blogpost on thankfulness? You can know what you didn’t know about thankfulness … and be reminded to be thankful in the good times and also when things fly off the tracks. Then Alicia Klumpp, our recent guest speaker and blogger for this current series, wrote and spoke on encouragement. She is a master encourager; in fact, a few days ago I witnessed her in action in a large group setting in her own home. Check out that wild sweater of hers! I encourage you to go back and listen to the videos and read the blogposts. These gals can also be part of your lean-in community too. My prayer is that you have women in your life who speak into you, and maybe, just maybe, their words will be remembered in forty years.
What better word to end this series than SELAH! It is used 74 times in the Old Testament, 71 times in the book of Psalms. Often it is used in relation to praising God through music (not surprising since Psalms is filled with words to music accompaniment by various instruments). It is a word that urges us to pause and take it all in. It’s like God is speaking to us: “Sweet, sweet daughter, I am providing an aha moment for you right now to just take it all in and teach you the heart of how I deeply love you.” Can’t you just hear the beautiful instruments? We are supposed to take it all in, absorb it, praise our God, all in this one-word reminder:
SELAH
Pause? What?? We are on the cusp of December when we can do anything but slow down and take it all in. Pause? Take it all in? “No way, not me,” we argue. But we do not know what we do not know. And do you know why? We do not take the time to be blessed and receive the aha moment of learning to pause to listen and absorb the moments before us - the season before us.
You can giggle over this one: I had an aha moment when I was preparing to tell you about aha moments. Yep. Seriously. I was reading and re-reading from Psalms 46:10, a verse many of us have heard many times:
“Be still and know that I am God.”
My aha moment came when I read it in the NASB translation: “Stop striving and know that I am God.” Wow! Stop striving stopped me dead in my tracks. Guilty. God expects us to act upon SELAH. Get this … the action of Selah is stopping our action. Our culture pushes us and pushes us to strive, strive strive. Hmmmmm. The reason why I had an aha moment is because just maybe, the Stop Striving spoke to me personally. Busted. What about you? Do you also feel like you have to work on this in your life?
Moses, stop striving, be still, stop striving and know that I am God.
Note to self: Debbie, be still, stop striving and know that I am God.
Note to reader: Insert your name in the blank: __________, be still, stop striving and know that I am God.
What better time to be reminded of this than at the end of this series on Holiday Rhythms, the end of November, the beginning of what can be a crazy time for all of us, unless we intentionally lean into it. Friends, we are on the cusp of Advent and we have a choice as to how to lean into it. We need to stop striving so that we can stop unwanted chaos.
Remember from the introductory series podcast: when clarity goes up, overwhelm goes down. The clarity of stopping to strive and adding the act of adoration of SELAH, is of utmost importance as we navigate the holiday season. I dare say that we will experience aha moments if we listen intently when we are still, when we cease the chaos and lean into the season ahead as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the gift to the world that trumps all other Christmas gifts.
Psalm 46:10-11. Those words were written just for us. Look at the Selah at the end. We are being told to stop and realize who God is … to just stop in awe and imagine the incredible fact that God is right here with us.
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord Almighty is with us.
the God of Jacob is our fortress.” SELAH
PRAYER:
Jesus, you are absolutely amazing! Thank you for teaching us what we do not know. Please nudge us to stop striving so that we can listen to your voice and be in awe of who you are.
In the strong name of Jesus. Amen.
Suggested actions steps:
1. Be intentional to pause and gift yourself with the reminder to stop striving.
2. Approach Christmas with awe.
3. Read Psalms this December and look for the “Selahs.”
4. Lean into your support community … to those women who encourage and teach you.
I invite you to join me via video on this Central Women online video resource as I speak more about Selah, the Psalms, and a not-so-insignificant icon that will remind you to stop striving. This will conclude the segments to the Holiday Rhythms series and begin the new one, Advent. Feel free to go back to read and listen to those segments you have missed. We are so glad you are a part of our online resource community!