Hey everybody! After a month off, the Daily Thoughts are back!

Before Lent/Easter (when we did a special series on the Psalms of Ascent), we were working our way through the book of Psalms verse-by-verse. We left off at the end of Psalm 2, and so today we’re picking back up in Psalm 3.

I’m planning on staying in the Psalms for the near future because I believe that they are an excellent model of prayer, and we’ll be taking them verse by verse (sometimes a few verses a day) so that we resist the urge to jump over the “less enjoyable” sections.

I hope these short thoughts help you invite God into every moment of your day!

Anyway, here’s today’s thought:

“O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
Many are saying of my soul,
There is no salvation for him in God. Selah.”
—Psalm 3:1-2 ESV

I think it’s interesting that the word “selah” appears after verse 2.

Scholars still debate about the meaning of the word (you can read more about it here if you’re interested), but most believe that it is an indication to pause and reflect on the words of the song up to that point.

But regardless of its meaning, I think it would be wise to take a moment and pause before moving on to verse 3.

Here’s the thing: if we rushed on to verse 3 and its faith-filled declarations about God’s deliverance, we would be missing an opportunity to meet with God.

You see, the biblical model of faith isn’t the denial of reality. It’s the recognition that God is present with us even in our darkest moments.

And so, instead of rushing over the “hard” part, we are encouraged to bring our situation before God in brutal honesty.

Because he can only heal and transform what we are honest about.

So the lesson for you and me today is this: don’t rush it. Whatever you’re going through, bring it to God. Be honest with him about it.

Be present with him in the midst of it.

Here is a short prayer to help you invite God into every moment of your day:

Inhale: God,
Exhale: Help me be honest with you.