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Dear Ministry Partner,
Did you know that the word “Selah” appears seventy-one times in Psalms, the unofficial song and poetry book of the Bible?
The Hebrew word, also appears three times in the book of Habakkuk, and suggests either a liturgical-musical intermission or an instruction to pause and ponder, in order to savour the meaning and the significance of the moment. In the Bible, we read of multiple instances where Jesus would withdraw to a quiet, solitary place to pray. Christ shows us that we need to be intentional in order to make room for Selah and be still before our God.
Yet, such Selah moments may slip by us in our hurried and stressful lives where we are preoccupied with life’s demands and gripped by concerns and anxiety. We may especially feel this way as we adjust to post-pandemic living where the pace of school, work and life in general has returned to pre-pandemic highs. These quiet moments of reflection become all the more necessary as we seek rest in a world that is in constant overdrive.
Creating Selah moments is one way we can maintain our mental and emotional well-being. I have found that Selah moments can help us to enjoy the God-created rhythms of work and rest by:
As I ponder over how Selah could be applied in today’s fast-paced life, let me share with you my personal list of Selah moments:
As we enter into the new year, let us live intentionally by creating Selah moments where we pause and ponder in a manner that refreshes us and reflects our set apart identity as God’s children.
Grace and Peace,
Lam Kok Hiang
Leadership Mentor
Despite three years of the pandemic, the call to bless the nations remains.
As travel restrictions were gradually lifted, many missions agencies and churches began planning mission trips once again. Many returned to previously-frequented locations to reconnect with the field, while others decided to explore new frontiers. It is certainly by the grace of God that we are once again able to travel abroad, and resume overseas missions work after a three-year hiatus.
In particular, November and December were busy months for us, as we too sent out eight different trips to the following locations:
Most of these trips were previously established partners; for example, the mission trip organised by our Medical Ministry to the Philippines, as well as our in-person campus ministry trip to Taiwan, which was built off a previous engagement established via digital means (Beyond Borders) during the pandemic.
During these trips, some of our mission trippers were met with cautious locals, especially in locations where COVID-19 was still an ongoing battle the country was facing. On the other hand, others were welcomed with opened arms, like the children in Chiang Rai and the neighbouring country we visited.
The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Let us heed His call today!
Come experience God and bless the nations through local and overseas missions. Cru is planning to send trips to West Asia (16-24 April and 16 April-2 May), Malaysia (21-25 May), and Japan (5-13 August).
For more info, please email: missions@cru.org.sg or visit cru.sg/missions.
诗篇作为圣经里歌曲和诗词的锦集，“细拉”一词共出现了七十一次，您注意过这词汇吗？“细拉”源自希伯来文，在哈巴谷书中，先知配以音调的祷文三度使用这词。这词指示礼乐告一段落，或稍作停顿，叫人回味前文的含义。我们透过圣经不止一次看见耶稣退到旷野祷告。基督以身作则，向我们示范如何特意地腾出空白时刻(“细拉”)，并在神面前静默。
点击上面的段落阅读更多然而，在我们紧凑繁忙的日子里，人人全神贯注为生活打拼、身负各样担忧及焦虑，如此余裕时间或许一闪即逝。防疫措施放宽后，我们可能察觉生活节奏忽地飙升，不论学校、工作和日常方面，仿佛回到疫情前的高度。全世界疯狂运转的当儿，我们尤其需要归回安息。
腾出“细拉”时刻是我们维持心灵与情绪健康的方法之一。短暂的停歇能帮助我们重新发现 神所造的生活规律：
我还在思想怎样在现代紧绷的生活里营造“细拉”时刻，请容许我分享一些个人的“细拉”时刻如下：
新的一年里，让我们特意制造“细拉”时刻，学会停下脚步及省思；愿 神的儿女因此重新得力，活出生命的见证。
愿 神赐您恩惠与平安，
蓝国贤
会务导师
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