Saturday Selah: Song to the Lord

Selah is probably either a liturgico-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, something like "stop and listen". Selah notes a break in the song and as such is similar in purpose to Amen in that it stresses the importance of the preceding passage.

I will exalt You, my God the King;

I will praise Your name for ever and ever. ~ Psalm 145:1
Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD, O my soul. ~ Psalm 146:1

Praise the LORD.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

How pleasant and fitting to praise Him! ~ Psalm 147:1

This week I discovered a delightful poet, Helen Lowrie Marshall [1904-1975]. Her poems sing praise to God and refreshment on my soul. I want to share a Selah from her with you:

Each day, upon my daily round,
I find myself on holy ground-
The morning-glories on my fence
Inspire quiet reverence.
Just one small, tender seedling grew,
And now, this miracle in blue.
A robin in the apple tree
Sings out his glad doxology.
I hear the pure, unsullied joy
Of laughter from a little boy;
I bow before the firm belief
And faith of one who lives with grief;
I watch a jet plane skim the skies
And marvel at man's enterprise;
I look upon a field of wheat
And thank God for the bread we eat;
I watch the benedictive rain
On low-bowed heads of flower and grain.
A friend drops in, a neighbor calls,
The lamps are lit, night gently falls;
Contentment settles with the sun
In labors of the day well done.
So many little altars there,
So many simple calls to prayer,
So many reasons for thanksgiving-
The sacraments of daily living.

Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD from the heavens,

Praise Him in the heights above. ~ Psalm 148:1

Praise the LORD.

Sing to the LORD a new song,

His praise in the assembly of the saints. ~Psalm 149:1

Praise the LORD.

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty heavens. ~ Psalm 150:1

On this Saturday, while we wait in excitement for Resurrection Sunday...pause to praise the Lord God Almighty for His beautiful gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Saturday Selah: Song to the Lord

https://typingone-handed.blogspot.com/2009/04/saturday-selah-song-to-lord.html

Saturday Selah: It's A Good Thing

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises in Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
For You LORD, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands. --Psalm 92:1-4

The coming week will be very full of preparations for the large dinner our family will share together on Thursday.

My sisters are coming in from Maryland and Virginia. There will be at least 15 of us (up to 20 if two other families show up) gathered around my parents' tables. They have two tables in their dining room and adjoining kitchen and another they can bring up from the family room if needed.

My oldest daughter, Pastry Princess (and the Dynamo) will be staying at our house through the week so we can prepare our contributions to the feast. We will be making hor 'dourves, salads, and desserts.

I really want to make sure we take time to focus on more than just the copious amounts of food we will consume. Just the fact that we are all able to gather is evidence, in the midst of this year's economic problems, that we've all been blessed by the Lord.

O LORD, how great are Your works!
Your thoughts are very deep.
A senseless man does not know,
Nor does a fool understand this. --Psalm 92:5-6

As our group includes believers and unbelievers, I am seeking ways to be subtle about guiding us to give proper thanks to the Lord. I'm working to compose a collection of Thanksgiving Psalms and thoughts on a little scroll to put at each place setting.

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into...ministry. --1 Timothy 1:12

I am resolved not to let this opportunity escape without presenting the greatest Gift deserving of our thankfulness in a way that draws the believers and unbelievers alike to express their thanks to their Creator.

Father, help me to be an expression of Your love to our family and friends. Guide my attitude and my actions so that all gathered will be drawn to You alone. Amen.

Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. --Psalm 147:1

Saturday Selah: It's A Good Thing

https://typingone-handed.blogspot.com/2008/11/saturday-selah-its-good-thing.html