"Let be and be still, and know, recognize and understand that I am God. I will
be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts
is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge, our High Tower and Stronghold.
Selah, pause and calmly think of that!"
(Psalm 46:10-11)
Image courtesy/Picture This
Summer flowers, like the lovely, old-fashioned Heliotrope, are an awesome
display of the intricate, "down to the last detail" artistry of the Creator's power.
They remind believers of the beauty and brevity of life, the assurance of God's
provision, and the surety of His eternal promises.
The Hebrew word, "Selah" pronounced (say-lah) appears often in the Book of Psalms,
and encourages the reader to carefully pause to consider or reflect upon the glorious,
eternal nature of God . Often, when a particular verse of Scripture captures our
attention, God is speaking directly to us, though we may not realize it at first.
I clearly remember the day when I had to take my beloved dog, Mariah, to
be put to sleep after she developed cancerous tumors in her abdomen. She
could barely walk and I had all I could do to put her in the car and drive
to the local animal hospital. Although the veterinarian tried to reassure
me that I was doing the right thing for her, it was one of the hardest
moments of my life. I never felt so alone and guilty, thinking
if only I had not been preoccupied with other things...if only I
had noticed Mariah's worsening condition sooner...if only...
Afterwards, driving back home I was so blinded by tears that I could
hardly see the road in front of me. When I finally reached home again,
the first thing I did was grab my Bible and sit down on the living room
couch. Closing my eyes, I asked God to speak to me through His Word,
to let me know that I had done the right thing for Mariah.
As I opened the front cover of my Bible, the pages fell open to Psalm 84.
The words of this lovely song seemed to leap out at me as I read the following
verse: "Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young-even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God."
(Psalm 84:3)
"Even your altars..." I quickly read again the words of this verse and realized
that God was not only speaking directly to me, but, He was comforting my
broken heart with the assurance that my Mariah was with Him now.
My faithful pet and friend, like the sparrow and the swallow,
had found a place of rest on His altars.
