Selah: Worship in the Midst of Spiritual WarfareSample

Have you ever struggled to pray? Do you know what it feels like to lift arms that feel like dead weights in the middle of worship? Has discouragement ever soured your devotional time?

If so, you are in good company. One of the reasons I praise God for the Bible is because He doesn’t hide any of this.

Whether we’re reading about the beginning of mankind in Genesis or the beloved martyrs who cry out to God in Revelation, one thing is clear: faith in God is not for the faint of heart.

Distraction, discouragement, and defeat are all strategies the enemy of our soul deploys in spiritual warfare, so let’s prepare for it.

Spiritual warfare is the opposition we experience from the enemy that challenges our intimacy and authority in Christ. And it is present, though sometimes undetectable, from the very beginning of our lives. After all, the enemy will use anything to dissuade us from following the Lord.

Thankfully, we have been equipped to defend ourselves and our faith. I have discovered that our defense lies in our ability to worship.

Worship is not an instant remedy to right everything wrong in our lives. Instead, it is a weapon we can implement through a lifestyle of love and service to Jesus Christ. I like to say worship is adoration in action, lived out over time.

Worship changes everything about us, including our hearts’ posture.

Selah is a symbol found throughout the book of Psalms and the third chapter in Habakkuk, and although we are not sure of its direct translation, it represents the delightfully glorious mystery worship encompasses in every way.

Selah reminds us how important it is to pause when negative emotions persist. It helps us slow down long enough to reflect on God’s goodness regardless of whether we feel good or not, and it offers a way to respond with wisdom in our reactive world.

The New American Standard Hebrew Lexicon defines the Hebrew word selah (סֶֽלָה) as to lift up or exalt. As we surrender to the pause, we settle down to worship, sensitive to the many ways we exalt God's name above our emotions.

Worship renews our minds and helps us reengage with the Lord in new ways. It reminds us He is worthy in everything, despite everything, and because of everything, a message King David expounded upon many different times throughout the books of 1 and 2 Samuel.

I mean, just think about it. Have you ever seen someone’s hands go up in surrender when they feel like they have no other choice? It’s the same position we assume in the middle of worship during a beautiful song. Although the enemy would like to make us believe that everything is over when we come to the end of ourselves, Scripture would reveal that is where our strength lies.

Worship invites us to lead a life that gives us access to the limitless power our Lord alone holds. It leads us to acknowledge the Lord’s Omnipotent (all-powerful), Omniscient (all-knowing), Omnipresent (ever-present) Strength in the absence of our own. And there, worship moves His Heart.

Throughout the next six days, we will journey through the books of 1 and 2 Samuel to discover more about how to cultivate a lifestyle of worship.

Hannah, Samuel, Jonathan, and David all fought and won intense battles that were every bit as spiritual as they were natural. In so doing, they influenced Eternity. It’s time we learn how to do that in partnership with our King, Jesus Christ, whose foreshadowing is interwoven throughout every single one of these chapters.

There is power in surrender.

Reflection

1. Can you name a specific instance where you now recognize you were encountering spiritual warfare?
2. How did you move beyond it?