“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us – Selah – so that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.” ~ Psalm 67:1-2

The phrase “so that” is one of the most underlined concepts in my Bible. I would be so excited every time that phrase was in the text, because I knew it was leading me to the anchor, the purpose of what God was doing.

“…so that Your ways be known on earth …so that Your salvation be among all nations.”

Yet today, another word is stepping forward. A word I’ve glanced over for years without a second thought as to why God put it there.

The word is Selah.

Selah simply means to pause. It’s a word instructing us to take a moment to ingest what had just been written.

“May God be gracious to us – may God bless us – may God make His face shine upon us – Selah…

Its after these three prayers seeking God’s grace, God’s blessing, and His Presence we are instructed to pause. This is where we are to take in what God wants to give us, and to linger there. To relish each word and receive the full measure of what God the Father is pouring out. Grace, blessings, and His Presence are ours in abundance. They are ours first.

It’s only after we have received His love does He lead us to what’s next. “…so that Your ways be known on earth…”

“If I have not love…I am nothing. If I have not love…I gain nothing” ~ I Corinthinas 13: 2/3

We need to have His love for us first before we can step out and love others in His Name.

Selah.