SELAH: My #OneWord365
2012 was beloved.
2013 was commit.
Do you sense a trend in the last two years? Commit: to do, to carry into action deliberately, entrust. Devote: to commit by a solemn act, to give over to a cause, enterprise or activity. Strong verbs.
But now, it's 2015, and I'm going in a totally different direction.
2015 is selah.
Selah: stop and listen, to pause and praise, to exalt, to lift up.
My prayer for this year is simple: selah. My prayer is that every day, in every season, despite every changing emotion, I would pause and praise. My prayer is that this year would be defined by stillness, rest, reflection, worship. My prayer is that my devotions wouldn't be rushed or hurried or just another thing on my to-do list, but that I would truly stop and listen. My prayer is that I won't be too busy or too hurried or too worried to stop, to pause, to lift up. My prayer is not that I would rely on my own strength, but that I would exalt the strength of the Lord, exalt His glory, exalt His name. My prayer for this year builds on the prayers of the past two years-- I'm committing my year and devoting my year to the pausing and the praising of my Savior, Creator, Redeemer, my Abba.
Last weekend, my church held a soul care retreat for group leaders, and it was a morning of silence and stillness with just me, my Bible, my journal, and my God. If ever I was reminded of how refreshing selah can be, that morning was it. For more than two hours, I didn't say a word, didn't look at my phone, didn't see anyone else, wasn't distracted by anything. For hours, I was able to pause and to praise.
This was what spilled onto the page that morning:
Abba-- may this morning bring selah. May this day be about pausing and bringing you praise. May I be still, be silent, be at peace. May I rest in Your presence and let all chaos settle before You. May I breathe in Your grace and breathe out Your praise. May I reflect on all You've done, putting aside all my to-dos. May You be at my center. May You be at the core. May You be at the forefront and in the spotlight. May all my strivings cease. May You be Christ alone, May You be my Cornerstone. May You be Lord of all. May You invade, disrupt, bring to the light, unsettle, and stir up in me the places where idols reign and You have been replaced by my pride and humanity. May I leave this place today looking more like You in a way that is lasting. May silence be a practice I carry with me. May stillness refresh what is weary within me. May Your goodness overcome all my wretchedness. May You come. Holy Spirit, You are welcome here. Come, flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for, to be overcome by Your presence, Lord.
May 2015 be full of selah.
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