May God be gracious to us

and bless us and make his face

to shine upon us, Selah 

that your way may be known

on earth, your saving power

among all nations.

Psalm 67:1-2

Last week we focused on praying to God for his blessing. I want to emphasize again:

It’s your job to ask God for blessings.

It’s not selfish,

it’s commanded.

As we will see next week, it has a goal that is beyond you. 

If last week we prayed for blessings, this week we want to consider our blessings. Right in the middle of the first couple sentences of this Psalm we have this unusual Hebrew word: SELAH.

The word Selah is found in many Psalms and poems in the Bible.

Selah means to pause and think about that

….whatever you just sang,

whatever you just prayed,

whatever you just read about God,

pause and think about it. 

Absorb it. 

Marinate in it for more than just a few seconds. 

Selah was often also a musical interlude in the Psalm or poem without words. This is for God to move individually in each of our hearts.

It’s for us to catch a breath and value all the good that God is doing around us and all the material blessings that He has given us. 

Most importantly, it's to take an inventory of our spiritual needs. 

After praying for blessing, take a moment to consider His blessings that are all around you.

I know it’s so easy to get focused on the negative, especially since this world is crazy, unfair and corrupt.

It is a hard pill to swallow to know that you and most people in this world will have to suffer in big ways and small ways until the end. The negativity can be so all-encompassing that it can leave you stuck in the mud. This is why God wants to lift our eyes up to see that He is blessing us.

When you take a moment to consider all the blessings around you, you also will likely experience the emotion of joy from the Holy Spirit. 

Here are a few examples from my own prayer life:

• I am thankful for my wife. She is by no means perfect, but l like her flaws, too. (some of them)
• I am thankful for my kids - how beautiful and smart they are, even though they occasionally have a temporary lapse into adolescence, they are compassionate, empathetic and servant-hearted people.
• I am thankful for All Souls Church - I have been a pastor for 26 years and in many ways, this is my favorite congregation (don’t tell the others).
• I am thankful for the house that we rent - I am thankful that I can take a walk from my house up into the hills above Burbank. 
• I am thankful for the Bible as a foundation and guidepost each day.
• I am thankful for the Dodgers and the Lakers.
• I am thankful for my vehicle, even though I have a panel inside that keeps falling off.
• I am thankful for the city that we get to live in. There is so much here, so many different types of people. 
• I am thankful for my recliner chair and a good cup of coffee.

Now it is your turn to “Selah.”

Take 15 minutess to count your blessings!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Harvey