Speak to Me
 
“Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.”—Psalm 119:133
 
Speak to me in moments,
when anxiety seems to reign,
and time-tested, God-sent precepts
are exchanged for a moment’s gain.
 
Remind me of Your wisdom
and understanding ways,
when people seem to flee to
confusion in a haze.
 
Enlighten me in Your path,
when no one seems to know,
and blindly others walk
someplace where they must go.
 
Guide me toward deliverance,
when all the world is trapped,
and many keep on yelling
for more, their own hands strapped.
 
Touch me with Your mercy,
when merciless ones lead,
and talk about their kindness,
while others cry and bleed.

Like a heartbeat, a poem can support and sustain life. The cadence of a poem is like the beat of a heart, set in motion by God Himself. It can also be like breathing. Did you know that the name for God, Yahweh, is descriptive of breathing in (yah) and breathing out (weh).  Reading an inspiring poem can be like breathing in a fragrance from God, then releasing it to refresh others. 

Many times, God wakes me up at night with words, even whole verses, to put to pen. I will rise up and write the words down—the beginnings of a new poem to honor Him. In the past, I’d get up early in the morning to walk around a lake for an hour to experience the quiet solitude of time with Him. It was during these precious moments that I prayed for others and asked Him many questions. He often answered me, not with straight-forward replies, but with pictures. And the scenes He relayed worked themselves into poems, which I penned later. Some came in the form of rhymes, some were word-thoughts, some were prayers, and some were praises. Some were from my point of view. Others from His. All of them became like healing heartbeats or life-giving breaths during difficult times.

The most famous poetry can be found in David’s Psalms, and he often ended them with the word, “selah.” What does it mean? GotQuestions.org concludes that “selah” means “pause and calmly think about that.” “When we see the word selah…we should pause to carefully weigh the meaning of what we have just read or heard, lifting up our hearts in praise to God…. ‘All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name. Selah!’ (Psalm 66:4).”¹            

The essence of selah can be relayed through the depths of a psalm, a song, a praise, or a poem. In Streams in the Desert, the author says “Is there any word in the Psalms more eloquent than the word ‘Selah,’ meaning pause? Is there anything more thrilling and awe-inspiring than the calm before the crashing of the storm, or the strange quiet that seems to fall upon nature before some supernatural phenomenon or disastrous upheaval? And is there anything that can touch our hearts like the power of stillness? For the hearts that will cease focusing on themselves, there is ‘the peace of God, which transcends all understanding’ (Phil.4:7); ‘quietness and trust’ (Isa. 30:15), which is the source of all strength; a ‘great peace’ that will never ‘make them stumble’ (Ps. 119:165); and a deep rest, which the world can never give nor take away. Deep within the center of the soul is a chamber of peace where God lives and where, if we will enter it and quiet all the other sounds, we can hear His ‘gentle whisper’ (I Kings 19:12). Even in the fastest wheel that is turning, if you look at the center, where the axle is found, there is no movement at all. And even in the busiest life, there is a place where we may dwell alone with God in eternal stillness. There is only one way to know God: ‘Be still, and know.’ ‘The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him’ (Hab. 2:20).”²