Selah

O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying to me, "There is no help for you on God." Selah

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

Rise up, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

Deliverance belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people! Selah

In January 2021, Linawati Santoso, from East Java, Indonesia, lost her primary job. Her salary from that job paid for her family's daily needs. She had another job, but the salary was not paid monthly. Linawati was stressed, and she found it difficult to find a new job.

In times of stress Linawati remembers the word Selah, which appears often in the Psalms. In Psalm 3, David has fled from his son Absalom. Though scholars do not know the exact meaning of Selah, Linawati wonders if David included it to mean "take a breath" or "pause and reflect" on the meaning of the words. After David sang, "I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill," Linawati wonders if he stopped singing and said to himself, Do not worry, God will give you deliverance. When Linawati was stressed over losing her job, she felt God gave her Selah to help her remember that rather than worrying she can pray, praise, and worship God.

The word Selah in Psalm 3 does not mean the singing is finished. After Selah, David once again began praising God. When Linawati is stressed, she remembers to pause and then continues praising God, trusting that God cares for her and hears her prayers.

Prayer: Dear God, in times of hardship, remind us to rest in your steadfast love and mercy, in Jesus' name. Amen.