“Put off for one day and ten days will pass by.”
KOREAN PROVERB

Hear my cry O God; Give heed to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy.
Let me dwell in your ten forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.
Selah.

PSALM 61:1-4 NASB

Many times in the Psalms you will find the word Selah. It is a musical notation meaning to pause or to suspend. As I read the psalms I find this word to come after some profound thought that needs more time to reflect upon. David in the psalm explains his depression and his heart being faint, he also asks God to lead him to “the rock that is higher than I.” The “big I” in my life sometimes is higher than anything around. As I take time to Selah or to pause and meditate upon David’s words, I realize that I also need to be lead to a rock that is higher than I. You see when my “I” is all by itself, I find myself in not very good company. When my “I” soars higher than anything else I find that I look down on others and become judgmental. I also develop resentments, which may lead to anger. When my “I” is all by itself I sometimes will see others as better than I and more fortunate, and therefore I feel sorry for myself and develop self-pity. When I get my eyes off God and on my surroundings everything will start to look small indeed. Like David, I also need God to “lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” The next few words are all part of the same thought. “For You have been a refuge for me.” It’s hard for the “big I” to find refuge when it soars higher than anything else. “Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” This last phrase before we are to pause and meditate upon the words reminds me of a hen I used to have. Twenty years ago my Granny gave me the last of her bantam chickens, we call them banties, and Camilla was a very good mama They are a small breed of chickens that can be very aggressive. The hens are the best mama’s you can find. Camilla would be very protective of her eggs and when they would hatch she watched over each little chick. When they would be out scratching for food around the chicken house, and you would walk upon them, Camilla would raise up her hind end and spread her wings. All the little chicks would run to the shelter of he wings. If you came too close she would peck you. Today when I think of being in the shelter of His wings, I think of a loving God who covers me with His love when I don’t feel as though I can handle it alone. In times like this God does for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE

“The heart of the world is breaking under this load of pride and pretense. There is no release from our burden apart from the meekness of Christ. Good, keen reasoning may help slightly, but so strong is the vice that if we push it down one place, it will come up somewhere else. To men and women everywhere Jesus says, ‘Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” The rest He offers is the rest of meekness, the blessed relief which comes when we accept ourselves for what we are and cease to pretend.”
A.W. TOZER…………….The Pursuit Of God, page 109