SELAH

Selah is a word used in the Old Testament that means to have an intentional and deliberate pause. In the Psalms, Selah was used when the reader or audience was invited to pause and reflect on what they had just sung. We have taken the word selah and used it as an acronym to help prepare our hearts as we approach God each day. Take some time to slowly walk through SELAH—Stop, Exhale, Lean-in, Ask, and Hear.

Stop

Before you read, take some time to stop and limit your distractions. Start by turning your phone to Do Not Disturb so you won’t receive notifications. Take some time to close your eyes and begin to prepare your heart for the transformation God wants to lead you in today.

Exhale

With your eyes closed, take several slow deep breaths. As you breathe in, invite God into your time with Him today and as you breathe out, exhale your stress, anxieties, worries, distractions, and sins. Make your breathing all about receiving Him and removing yourself.

Lean-In

As you continue to breathe, take a posture leaning forward. Today you want to lean into what God wants to teach you and how He might want to transform you. As you lean forward, tell God that you are ready for any work He might want to do in or through you.

Ask

Now with your eyes closed, breathing slowly, and leaned forward, ask God to transform you today. Your goal should be to live and love more like Jesus than you did yesterday. You need God’s help for this to be possible. He loves to help His children, but He is waiting for you to ask.

Hear

Now, stop & listen. Don’t continue talking, but give yourself time to hear from Him. He will speak to you today through worship, His Word, and the devotional you’re about to read. He is ready to speak. Are you ready to hear from Him?

Defining God’s Holiness

Note

Holiness might just be one of the hardest attributes of God to try and explain with human words. We can more easily talk about love and justice because we have experienced love and justice before, or maybe more clearly, we have seen the opposite of love and a world filled with injustice. Holiness is harder to describe because it is completely the opposite of what we are as humans. We are unholy. This makes it hard to fully understand the holiness of God.

Even though it may be difficult, it is important to try to define a word that’s used over 700 times in the Old and New Testaments. The Hebrew word for Holy literally means to be completely unique, set apart, and distinct. God, in his nature, is completely unique from any other version of a god we may try and dream up. He is set apart from every other thing in this world because everything else is created by Him. He is distinct and unique in His power, presence, and knowledge. God is Holy.

Passage to Read

1 Samuel 2:1-2 says,

"Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!

The Lord has made me strong.

Now I have an answer for my enemies;

I rejoice because you rescued me.

No one is holy like the Lord!

There is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God."

Reflect

If this was the only passage in the Bible that we could use to create an idea of God’s holiness, what would you learn here? Take a second to reread the passage and see what all they are saying about God. I think there are three things we can take away from verse two. First, there is no one on earth or in heaven who can compare to God’s holiness. He is distinct and incomparable to all other things. Second, there is no other god we can try to create that would match the uniqueness and holiness of God. Third, His holiness makes Him a strong rock upon which we can build our lives. It is His holiness that makes Him dependable and a Rock.

Respond

After you've read the passage today grab a journal or open your notes. Take some time to reflect on today’s reading. Use the SOAP acronym to help you engage. (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer).

• Scripture - What did you read?
• Observation - What did you learn?
• Application - What will you do?
• Prayer - Write out a prayer talking to God like a friend.