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 in to 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?

Blood & Frogs

Note

The plagues are something you may know generally about, but these next 5 days we are going to look at every plague and the impact it had on the people of Egypt, Pharaoh’s heart, and God’s goal of setting the Hebrew people free.

Reflect

In the beginning of Exodus 7, we read about why there is a need for the plagues. In Exodus 7:4-5, God says, “Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will rescue my forces—My people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgement. When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am Lord.”

This is such a mic drop moment. Nothing is going to get in the way of God’s will. He attacked Pharaoh where it would hurt the worst. Every plague was chosen specifically to represent the power God had over the Egyptian false gods. Did your mind just explode? Mine did.

So which false gods correspond with blood and frogs? Hapi is the Egyptian god of water bearing. Water is a life source now, but even more so during this time. Everything revolved around it. The plague of turning the Nile River to blood is an attack on Egypt’s basic needs and way of life. Unfortunately, Pharaoh had magicians who created illusions that mimicked water turning to blood so Pharaoh was unimpressed and continued to harden his heart.

The plague of the frogs was an attack on the Egyptian god Heket, who was the goddess of fertility, water, and renewal. This goddess was portrayed with a frog for a head. Although there were frogs in every nook and cranny of Egypt, Pharaoh’s magicians decided to prove their god superior by summoning more frogs (???) But they only left after Moses cried out for God to send the frogs away—again proving the God of the Israelites to be more powerful. But still Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he did not let God’s people go.

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.

Worship God Today:

Today, don’t forget the goodness of God. Listen to the song “Raise a Hallelujah” by Bethel.