A Selah Moment

Psalm 46

“God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling.  Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Selah

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
‘Be still, and know 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 fortress.”  Selah
(Psalm 46:1-11)

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Turbulent Times

I think Psalm 46 has something important to speak to us in these turbulent times. In the midst of contagions, quarantines, financial crises, and social distancing, we need a refuge; we need a very present help in trouble. We need to hear the voice of God.

We are in the first week of what amounts to a major shutdown in our country. Most of us are working from home. We are avoiding leaving our houses. Each of us are doing our part to contain the rampant transmission of COVID-19 throughout our cities and countries. The measures that the government have begun to impose have forced us to slow down our busy lives. We are no longer running from business meeting, to business meeting or juggling our kid’s sports practices and gymnastics classes. Our physical life has simplified, but I dare say our internal life is boiling over with fears and anxieties about the future. What do I do if catch the virus? What do I do if my kids do, or my elderly parents? Will my financial portfolio ever bounce back? Are we going into a recession? Where am I even going to find toilet paper?

There are so many unknowns right now, it can be a struggle to keep our minds in check – plus having more free time only compounds the issue. Free time can just feel like more time to stress. But, in Psalm 46, God’s response to a world in chaos begins with this – “Be still and know that I am God.”

Be Still and Know

God doesn’t tell his people to be still and try not to stress. He doesn’t even tell them to be still and try their best. He tells them to be still and know. Know that He is God. Know that the Earth melts before His voice. Know that if God is in the midst of his people (which he promises to always be), than they shall not be moved.

In the busyness of our lives, we often don’t take the time to be still, but we have an unique opportunity right now, in the imposed slowness of this current crises, to slow down, quiet our minds and embrace the stillness.

Stillness

Stillness is not something our culture prizes. In fact, in an age of smart phones that fill every moment of stillness we have with information, and in a world that values productivity, perhaps to a fault – stillness seems rather unproductive. Nothing is accomplished, so why do it? We long to feel in control of our lives and so we fill each moment with our strivings to somehow hold everything together. Stillness is the last thing we want, because we think that our lives are all up to us and we’re barely holding it together.

But there comes moments in each of our lives where we rub up against the fact that we are not in control of our own lives. Despite our desperate attempts to prove the contrary, we are not gods – we do not have power over life and death, over viruses and pandemics. We are subject to something other than ourselves. This can be a scary realization, but only if the thing we are subject to isn’t seeking our good. But as Christians, we serve a God who promises to be always working for our good and His glory and so we can rest from strivings, knowing that it is not all up to us. We can be still, because we know that there is a God and He is wholly good and supremely sovereign.

“We can be still, because we know that there is a God and He is wholly good and supremely sovereign.”

And so, when we let ourselves be still and remember who God is and who we are, we are reminded that we were never in control in the first place. The trembling of the mountains and the spread of the coronavirus are all in the hands of the Lord of hosts.

Selah

You may have noticed that the Psalmist uses the mysterious Hebrew word “Selah” 3 times in Psalm 46. Selah was most likely originally a musical notation indicating a pause in the music for contemplation on what was just sung. You might translate it – “Pause and think about that.” 

We might be living in a Selah moment right now. The world has stopped to a standstill. We have the opportunity in this moment to pause, be still and know God is still on the throne. Mountains might be falling into the heart of the sea, the waters may be roaring and foaming, but we can rest, without fear, in the knowledge that the “God of Jacob is our refuge.” Come what may, God will make wars cease to the end of the earth; he will break the bow and shatter the spear (Psa 46:9). So instruct your heart to be still and know, because He is God. Use this moment of social quarantine and isolation as a Selah moment. Allow yourself to be still.

The Still Small Voice

Scripture tells us that God doesn’t always speak to us with thundering words, or in demonstrations of power – often he speaks to us in the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13). And so, we need moments of stillness, or our many words and busyness may drown out that still, small voice of God – that whisper that we can only hear in the quiet. 

So, in the midst of your many prayers for healing, for the stop of the spread of COVID-19 and all of our other many intercessions, leave room for listening. Let the quiet be a part of your prayer-life. Otherwise, we may be talking over the voice of God.

In the Midst of the Storm

In Mark 4:35-41 we see Jesus asleep in a boat, while his disciples are in the throws of panic and despair. A great storm has arisen on the sea. The waters roar and foam around their tiny fishing boat and yet Jesus sleeps, resting on a pillow in the stern of the ship. The disciples wake him and Jesus’ first words are haunting echoes of Psalm 46 –

“Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” – Mark 4:39b-40

And in the end this is why we can have peace and be still in the midst of our current storm – we have a Master who says “be still” and the wind and waves obey. We have a Lord who quells the violence of this world with an utterance of his voice. We have a refuge that is a mighty fortress.

“We have a Master who says “be still” and the wind and waves obey.”

A Prophetic Promise

Psalm 46 also includes a prophetic promise. Verse 9 gives us a glimpse of the ending before it has happened. He will make wars cease to the end of the earth. The Lord shall break the bow and shatter the spear. He will burn the chariots with fire.
And the rest of the scriptures likewise point to this coming day –
Revelation 21:4 tells us that He will rid the world of sickness and pain.
Romans 8:38-39 says that even death itself can not separate us from his love.
We don’t need to live in anxiety stressing about how this is all going to turn out. Whether it be COVID-19, wars, storms or whatever turmoil is before us, it will all cease. The ending has already been written and there is great peace in that fact, especially in exceptional times like this.

He is in the Midst of Us

But for now, Psalm 46 doesn’t promise us that the waters of this life won’t roar, in fact it implies that difficulty will be a constant part of our lives as the people of God – what it does promise is that we have a God who is in the midst of us and he is always working for our good and his glory. He has a good plan for His creation. And so, we do not need to fear, though the Earth give way. He is always with us and He has revealed to us the end from the beginning.

“Let this be a Selah moment in your life.”

So, let this be a Selah moment in your life. As you are forced to take a pause from the busyness of your life, follow the words of God from Psalm 46 – “Be still and know that I am God.” I invite you to take 5, 10, 15 minutes a day to just be still in the presence of God. Contemplate his beauty. Find comfort in His strength. Let your anxious heart be stilled in the knowledge of his sovereign care for you. Listen for the still, small voice.

Melt Away

Let’s not be like Jesus’ disciples who panicked at the sight of the storm and forgot who was in the midst of them. Instead, let’s remember who our Master is. He “will be exalted in the Earth” (Psa 46:10). Everything revolves around the glory of the Lord of hosts, and He delights in saving his beloved. So we can let our Earthly fears and inner-turmoil melt away before his voice.

Now, Christians, labour in prayer, and love your neighbour during this pandemic, but do so with still and quiet hearts that know that God is still on the throne.

To him be the glory, both now and forever. Amen.