Press Pause

It's funny how we get caught up on what we think we need vs. what we actually need, isn't it? Sometimes what we think we need tends to overshadow what is really going on in our hearts. But if we can quiet our hearts and minds through prayer, turning to God, our true needs will be revealed.


King David was the same as me and you. He gets all sorts of distracted by what is causing him pain. He constantly responds to the prodding from his enemies with complaints to God. He whines about how his enemies are all around him and demands to know why God hasn't done anything about them.

But if you follow along with David through his complaints, you often see this little word - SELAH. We aren't exactly sure what it means. It is certainly a pause of some sort. A pause that is usually followed by a shift in focus and attitude regarding his circumstances and his felt needs. So we guess that SELAH means to pause and think about something. Which David does.

This shift though is not a plan to work out how to get what he feels he needs. Instead, it is a turning away from those things. Actually, not really a turning away, but a turning to. It is who he turns to that is so important. David turns to God - the Great I Am - the All in All - the Alpha and Omega... He turns to the One who can meet his needs.

But you will notice if you follow the attention of David through the Psalm that it turns to God, and as it does, his need changes. He no longer needs his enemies destroyed. He trusts God to deal with them. What he needs is strength, comfort, peace, joy, refuge... what he really needs are matters of the heart. God provides all of these things for him. For these things are only found in Him.

David paused... and so must we. When we pause, we must turn from our circumstances to God in prayer. While in prayer, we must remember Who He is. Remember what He has done. And then listen to our hearts and utter our true needs to Him. Our needs are identified by what drives our behavior. David's behavior was often complaining of his enemies. But his true need was to address the doubt in heart towards God. His faith was wavering.

I wonder how often we find ourselves in similar circumstances. The world is caving in on us, life pressuring us from all sides, and we simply focus on praying for the pressure to be removed. And yet, the pressure reveals a need in us, one which God wants to fill. And in truth, is the only one who can fill that need.

We have to be like David. We have to press pause when our prayers focus on our circumstances instead of our hearts. If God is All in All, we must let Him be so in our hearts. Then and only then, everything changes. Our circumstances may be the same as before, but our hearts change. Then our attitudes and thoughts change. When those change, our behavior changes. We don't complain. We praise God. We become people whom others will wag their fingers at in awe and wonder at the peace we have that passes all understanding.

Take time in the middle of your day to SELAH. In the middle of life's pressures, press pause. Remember who you are in respect to Who He is. Confess the deepest needs of your heart without fear. Jesus did it in the Garden of Gathsemene, and you can too. And when you do, God will become the very thing you need the most... if you will just let Him.

SELAH