Psalm 32 is a Selah psalm. There are only three of them, but they are powerful. Sure, no one knows what they really mean or how they function in the psalm. But there is something intriguing about the placement of the word in Psalm 32. The first one comes after a statement about how difficult life is and how faith is sometimes a burden that we bear. After expressing that pain and admitting that weakness, there is the word “Selah,” and then everything changes. The psalm becomes a celebration, a declaration of faith, a cleansing, a renewal. One of the understandings of selah is that it means to breathe. Some think it is a musical notation for singing or an instrumental interlude like a music bridge. I think it is a call to breathe, to stop and reflect and breathe.

Worship is catching our breath in the busyness of living. It is that moment when we pause and reflect and remember who we are and whose we are. We need selah moments in our lives daily. And when we gather, there should be that sense that we are pausing to breathe and collect and redirect ourselves for the tasks ahead.

The second selah comes after that moment of redirection, confession, and forgiveness. Then a breath, before widening the vision to include others. “Let all who are faithful offer prayer,” the psalmist declares and then gives witness to the power in his life. This is what God is for me, he declares, this is the result of paying attention.

Then the third breath, and it changes again. I will teach and counsel. “Don’t do this,” the psalmist writes, “do this.” Don’t be stubborn but be joyful. In other words, having declared the discipleship journey, the psalm turns to making disciples. This is what we do; this is who we are. This is the work that is set before us. But we can’t do it without stopping to breathe.

So, breathe. Let worship be a breath-giving experience. Let there be space to breathe this day. Let the music help us catch our breath. Let the prayers be breath prayers as we breathe out our confession and breathe in God’s grace and forgiveness. The prodigal couldn’t return home until he stopped and caught his breath. And in that breathing, he saw himself and he saw hope hanging like a rainbow over his head. So, breathe.

PLAYLIST SONG

“Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves

Steadfast love. What does that mean? Much as we might like it to mean that we will never experience problems and life will be easy and happy all the time, that kind of love is a fairy tale—and not a very good fairy tale, at that. Psalm 32 offers a richer and more robust account of God’s steadfast love—a love that never ends and never fails, no matter what life throws at us. As you listen to Kacey Musgraves’ “Rainbow,” take a deep breath and consider how God might calling you to “let go of the umbrella” and trust in God’s steadfast love.