Selah

Life is a mixture of joy and sadness....
High's and low's.....
Success and failure....
We meet each day with a hope and a strength that is not produced in us, but rather is given by our Father in heaven.
Such hope and strength is why you can go to a funeral and find great sadness, but such is tempered by the fact that the promises of God are true. Death is not the end but rather the transition point from this life to the next.

As I've gotten older, I have found that are certain disciplines in my relationship with Jesus that have become dear to me. As A younger man, prayer was an important part of my life, but I don't think I took it as serious as I do now. Oh, I prayed but the depth of my prayers was shallow. I was inconsistent at best. Praying here and there for things I thought were important.

Not so now.....
Prayer is my time with God when I can pour out my heart to Him.
A time when I can be still and listen for His voice. Receive direction for my day, as He orders my steps. Prayer has become a comfort to me at this stage of my life.

Scripture....
The Bible has become about the only book that I read.
I will find some reference book every now and then that will compliment what I'm reading in the Scripture. Funny part about studying the Bible is the way the verses have changed as I grown older. To be honest, the verses don't change. They are solid and read the same way each time I open my Bible....
But I have changed, and what I use to skim over or read without giving it much thought have become these incredible jewels of wisdom and insight given to all of us from God.

God is no longer an after thought, or some idea or concept that I thought I could place in my life. He is life.
This morning, as I sat down to type out this posting, I wasn't sure what I was going to write. I cracked open my Bible and there before me was Psalm 61. My eyes fell to the opening verses. It described perfectly where I am today in this journey we call life.

Psalm 61:1-4
Hear my cry, O God....
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to THE rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever. I will trust in the shelter of Your wings...
SELAH!

There at the end of this passage, you see the word "Selah"...
There are differing opinions as to what this term actually means..
Some think it to be a musical term since the Psalms are actually songs.
Others think it means to stop and ponder what you've just read...
Selah! Think on these things....
Selah! Let them sink down into the core of your being....
I'm not sure which one it truly is...
I just know that the verses before the word "Selah" cause me to stop and think on the greatness of God.
Such greatness is worthy to be pursued....
Such greatness is a pearl of great price that demands I sell everything to possess it.
I guess I'll close this posting today with that mysterious word, with the thought that all of us should ponder the greatness of God...
Selah

God on you...
mbb