Selah: A Sacred Pause in Your Grief

Selah. Have you heard this word before? Chances are you’ve read it in the Bible, or maybe you’ve heard of the band by the same name. Whether it’s familiar or brand new, I want you to take a moment and let the meaning of this God-breathed word settle in your heart. 

The Hebrew word Selah appears 74 times in the Bible, and 71 of those occur in the book of Psalms. Many commentaries say that Selah is a mysterious, ambiguous word—a word with uncertain meaning. However, some believe King David used this word as an invitation to pause—to take a breath, reflect, rest, and remember.

In the early days of my grief, rest felt impossible. After my daughter’s stillbirth, I longed for a step-by-step guide on how to get over the pain, as if healing could be a checklist. But that isn’t Selah. That wasn’t God’s heart for me in my suffering, and it isn’t His heart for you either. 

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill. Selah.”—Psalm 3:3-4

The words of this psalm hold such beauty for those who are grieving. God is our shield, our protector, the One who lifts our weary heads. He hears our cries and answers us. He surrounds us with His presence and turns our pain into a testimony of His glory.

God is inviting you to Selah—to pause with Him in the midst of your grief. Will you pause, breathe, and remember all that He has done and all that He has promised? I know you’re exhausted. I know you feel the divide between who you were before and who you are now, and sometimes you barely recognize yourself. But hear this—getting over the sadness isn’t the goal. Becoming more like Christ is.

Even in your sorrow, God is growing something beautiful—something you may not be able to see yet, but something you can trust is unfolding. So hold on. Breathe. Rest in Him. Selah.

—Jennie

Jennie is the Executive Director for Hope Mommies. She and her husband Brian live in Washington State and have four children together— Trenton, Paige who has been in Heaven with Jesus since 2010, Mason, and Cora. If you were to knock on her front door today, you’d find her in something comfortable drinking a hot cup of tea, while trying to figure out how to balance all the things that make up a life. She enjoys spending time in God’s word, fresh flowers, board games with her kids, cooking, and evening walks in her neighborhood. She adores being a new creation in Christ and prays she reflects Him well on this earth.