SELAH Vie

It's that time of year! When we make the resolutions, and we set the goals, and for those of you that know me: we pick the words.

Choosing a word for the year has long since been a favourite tradition of mine because it is my way of honing in on an aspect of life that the Lord has laid on my heart to grow me in, and then watching as the Lord interweaves it into my life.

In the time that I have been choosing a word for the year, I have walked through: abiding in the Lord, embracing His joy, seeking His purpose, and most recently: surrendering my heart to Him.

2022 taught me that surrendering is an on going process: an ever-evolving, ever-constant choice that we must make every day. A recognition that even the most stubborn of wills are no match for the Lord's, and that it is far better to start every day on our knees, offering ourselves to Him than anything else. Giving Him a willing heart, that is flawed by flesh, and redeemed anyways - not because of the greatness of any kind of sacrifice we can offer. Not because the altar we lay our desires down upon is perfect. Not because we can flawlessly bleed out our flesh on our own, and it appease the Lord, and cover the black spot of the transgressions of our sins. But rather, because the Lord sent His son to die for us, and that sacrifice, that perfect surrender took care of it all.

Now, on to this year: Selah is a word that I hadn't really heard until this year, and being the lover of words that I am, I immediately wanted to know what it meant. But the more I began to look into it, the less I could find on it - because Selah, is considered, an undefined word.

It appears often in the Bible in Psalms or throughout prophet's prayers and songs as a form of musical direction, often meaning to grow louder. But outside of that, it can mean a million things! To worship, to praise, to be still and listen to the Lord, to grow louder in His name and defy the darkness! And as I learned more about this word, the more it kept striking me: no matter what comes, I will worship. I will grow louder in His name because what else is there for a heart after the Lord to do?

I will be still and listen.

Already, this is something the Lord has begun to work in my life: almost two weeks ago I tore my ACL in a skiing accident - now I have no choice but to be still. And you know what I'm going to do no matter what comes? Worship.

In praying for my word for the year, I also found it interesting that even my personal quiet time had begun to change form as the Lord unknowingly began preparing my heart.

Instead of my usual journaling, the Lord began laying on my heart something I call "Jesus poems" - they are a combination of a poem and a song in my head, that would simply come seemingly out of nowhere when reading scripture, or listening to a podcast, or after hearing a sermon. What I knew deep down though, was that they were coming from the Holy Spirit. See, when my spirit was so overwhelmed by the power of the Lord, it could do nothing else but sing.

And I am not the first person to do this: in Habakkuk 3, he shares something called "a prayer meant to be sang" in which he makes it clear that though he doesn't always understand the Lord, he is going to trust Him anyways because He is God, and that is reason enough.

I found it beautiful, in my Bible's commentary on Habakkuk as a prophet, it pointed out that "like the psalmists, and unlike any other prophet, Habakkuk speaks for himself and on behalf of the people to God instead of simply relaying a message" because "he wasn't receiving any answer except that God is God. God is holy, does care, and will act how He sees fit, but only when He sees fit".

For Habakkuk, worship wasn't just a thing to do, it was a condition of his heart. It was a direction that was facing the Lord and trusting in Him, no matter how counter cultural or unknown, and singing louder anyways.

It was a conversation, and a cry, and a communion with the Eternal One.

In order to prepare for this blog post, and sharing my word for the year, I like to find a specific scripture to focus on. But this year, I couldn't find one - I found several. Because worship is not one thing, in the same way that Selah is not a simple word:

It is songs of awe, when God moves

"When He stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One!"

Habakkuk 3:6

It is songs of salvation, when the Lord redeems

"Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers and parted the sea? Were you displeased with the,? No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!"

Habakkuk 3:8

It is songs of submission, in face of the Yahweh's power

"The mountains watched and trembled. Onward swept the raging waters. The mighty deep cried out, lifting its hands in submission."

Habakkuk 3:10

It is songs of silence, waiting for what comes next

"I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us."

Habakkuk 3:16

It is songs of praise, when the Lord is in control

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon heights."

Habakkuk 3:18

There is a song for every moment, every season, in times of weakness and in times of strength.

And in the margins of my Bible, before ever knowing the frequency with which "Selah" appears in this passage I had wrote: "even in the things we don't understand, we will worship".

So I ask you: what is your song this year?

"C'est la vie" is French for "that is life", but this year I want the song of my heart to be "Selah vie" - my own combination of Hebrew and French that means "worship is life", but more importantly - "praising the Lord is life" - no matter the circumstances, no matter the reason, there is a song we can always sing.

Happy New Year, and more importantly: Happy Worshipping!

- Emma

"Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire"