Sunday, March 18, 2018

Welcome, Selah Grace Elizabeth!


Selah was born to us on Match 18th, 2018, weighing in at a healthy 8lbs, 14oz
We praise God for a safe delivery without complication, and for His grace which has sustained us.

Alexis is thankful for a smooth delivery & for labor that lasted only 5 hours.
Andrew is overjoyed about having a second girl. He hopes to have a bunch of girls.
Mariah is happy to have a sibling, someone to talk to, and eventually to play with.

About the name:
סֶלָה Selah
Selah is also thought to be rendered from two Hebrew words: s_lah, “to praise”; and s_lal, “to lift up.” Another commentator believes it comes from salah, “to pause.” From salah comes the belief that selah is a musical notation signifying a rest to the singers and/or instrumentalists who performed the psalms. If this is true, then each time selah appears in a psalm, the musicians paused, perhaps to take a breath or to sing a cappella or let the instruments play alone. Perhaps they were pausing to praise the One about whom the song was speaking, perhaps even lifting their hands in worship. This theory would encompass all these meanings—“praise,” “lift up,” and “pause.” When we consider the three verses in Habakkuk, we also see how selah could mean “to pause and praise.” Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3 inspires the reader to pause and praise God for His mercy, power, sustaining grace, and sufficiency.

Perhaps the best way to think of selah is a combination of all these meanings. The Amplified Bible adds “pause and calmly think about that” to each verse where selah appears. When we see the word selah in a psalm or in Habakkuk 3, we should pause to carefully weigh the meaning of what we have just read or heard, lifting up our hearts in praise to God for His great truths. “All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name. Selah!” (Psalm 66:4).
(Thanks for the explanation from https://www.gotquestions.org/selah.html )