Too good for me to add anything to...

This is some of what I read this morning during my time with the Lord...in this instance, via Amy Carmichael...

Pause is the word in the Greek translation of the Bible uses for selah. I like to mediate upon the way it occurs for the first time in the Psalms.

...many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God.

Selah

But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head. (Psalm 3:2-3)

We have all been subjected to the wearing voices which flood the very atmosphere around us, complaining “There is no help…”

These voices murmur and mutter the same words, no matter what the challenge or difficulty may be. “There is no help…”

But because you and I are in God we need not listen:
"There is no help…" They repeat.
Pause
"But you, O Lord, are my helper!”

No matter to us what he voices say. Their words bring only weariness – but with His word comes peace and strength and courage to go on.

This is true, not only whith the difficult outward circumstances of our lives, but with inward temptations too. We are tempted and at once we recall past failures in this same area. This causes us to feel weak and state to fall. The voices within are saying, "There is no help…”

Even these inner struggles may be turned to peace. How? Instead of trying to answer the many voices of the enemy or arguing with them (we can never win this type of argument), we must do something else.

We pause

We look away from self, away from the enemy. We look up!

"There is no help…"

"But you o lord…!"

Some believe that selah also signifies a sudden pealing forth of musical instruments.

The pause, then, was for praise.

Then let us fill all of our pauses with praise!

Let us give all that lies within us not to the voices of the enemy, but to pure praise, to pure loving adoration, and to worship from a grateful heart – a heart that is trainted to look up. (Amy Carmichael, Thou Givest, They Gather)


AND

Have you ever felt at the end of the day that you had nothing to offer but “broken pieces" of things? I have been finding new comfort in the two words which are used by each of the four Evangelists in telling the end of the story of the feeding of the five thousand. They speak of "broken pieces” and the same words are used by two in telling of the later miracle. There was nothing left over but broken pieces and yet of those fragments our Lord said “gather them up that nothing be lost.” Even so, our dear Lord cares for the broken pieces of our lives, the fragments of all we meant to do, the little that we have to gather up and offer, and He will use even these fragments. He will not let even the least of our little broken things be lost…(Amy Carmichael, Edges of His Ways)