If I’m honest, this one feels tender to write.
I’ve been planning something behind the scenes… a commercial break from the podcast. Not because I’m done. Not because I don’t love it. Not because I’m burnt out and throwing in the towel.
But because I felt the nudge to Selah.
We pause for meetings.
We pause for commercials.
We pause for loading screens.
But we rarely pause for God.
And yet “Selah” shows up more than 70 times in the Old Testament — tucked into the Psalms, woven into worship, placed carefully after weighty truth. Scholars believe it was a musical or liturgical term: a pause, an interlude, a lifting up. But in context, it feels like something more sacred.
It’s as if Scripture whispers:
Don’t rush past that. Sit in it. Let it sink in.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Selah
Not stop forever. Not quit. Pause… then resume.
And that distinction? It matters.
Some of us are terrified to take necessary breaks because we don’t want to look like quitters. We don’t want the raised eyebrows. The subtle “I told you so.” The internal shame spiral.
But what’s actually wiser?
Continuing at a pace that drains the joy and fractures the calling?
Or stepping back long enough to reset so you can return healthier, clearer, stronger?
Here’s what I keep seeing in Scripture:
God rested on the seventh day.
Jesus withdrew to lonely places to pray.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
Stillness isn’t weakness. It’s alignment.
Selah reminds us:
You are not the Savior.
You are sustained by Him.
And maybe you need this as much as I do.
Maybe you’re moving fast but feeling distant — doing all the “right” things, but your soul feels thin.
Maybe you’re reacting instead of responding — little things feel big, big things feel crushing.
Maybe God keeps highlighting the same verse, the same conviction, the same quiet nudge… and you keep scrolling past it.
Even music needs rests. Without them, it’s just noise.
A Selah doesn’t have to mean a six-month sabbatical. It might look like five quiet minutes after Scripture. A walk without headphones. Not responding to that text immediately. Sitting in one verse instead of consuming ten.
It’s less about inactivity. More about intentional awareness.
So this break? It’s not the end. It’s a sacred interruption.
And if you’ve been white-knuckling your way through something — afraid that slowing down means failing — let me gently say:
Needing a Selah doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re human.
Pause.
Breathe.
Let truth reorder you.
Then, when it’s time… Resume.
Selah.
This week on The True North Podcast…
What if the most spiritual thing you could do right now… is pause?
In this season finale of The True North Podcast, we're talking about what "Selah" means, why stillness is biblical (not weakness), and how to recognize when it’s time to pause instead of push. If you’ve been moving fast but feeling distant from God, reacting instead of responding, or sensing Him highlight something you keep rushing past — this may be your invitation to be still.
This is a reminder to not be afraid to take a pause. 😉
Have a great rest of your week and thanks for being here!
Love, Mykah (and Nimbus)
