During COVID, I noticed that more and more people began to walk. People needed to get out and get moving, whether for mental health reasons or physical health. Our family was among this group of movers. One day we decided to walk to the end of our street and explore what was at the end of the circle. We were in a new area, and there were a lot of unfinished streets and homes. What we expected to find and what we actually found were two very different things. Instead of being met with a dead end, we were met with the most incredible path. There were luscious tall trees that lined both sides of the paved walkway. You could hear the song of a variety of birds and smell the fresh earth. I’m not outdoorsy, but this path felt like a little bit of heaven. It soon became my selah path.

All through the Psalms and even in Habakkuk we see the word selah either in the middle of a passage or at the end. This word holds more importance than I think we may realize. It is there as a reminder to pause, reflect and take in the words being read. In the same way, we need to practice selah in our lives today. It can be so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life that we forget to stop, look around and take in the world and people in our lives. Psalm 23:2-3a paints a beautiful picture of selah. It says “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” God longs to refresh your soul. If only we would pause and reflect. He tells us in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Rest is godly, and rest is important. God, the Creator of all things, exemplified this in Genesis 2:3 “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” Selah.

It is in these selah moments that our soul finds refreshing, where the Lord speaks and where we are made new. Find some time to take a walk in nature, sit in silence, and just pause from your regular routine.