hosannas 2

As Jesus enters Jerusalem the time before his death, he hears ‘Hosannas’ or ‘save’ us.

Hosannas can be seen as a pause, a lifting up of voices. This is what the people in the crowd are doing,

This is what the crowd, his disciples, and we do whenever we approach Him. We sing,

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Psalm 118: 25-27

I pray ‘Hosannas’ multiple times each and everyday. (The crowd does not cry one ‘hosanna’ but multiple ones.) It is my meditation of Him. and for Him in relation to me. Save me from bitterness, angers, resentments. Save me, especially, from myself.

I pause when I pray this way-

a pause…

Verse 8 in Psalm 138 defines the Lord’s purpose for me, for us, as enduring, a forever, love as a Selah. – A pause- a pause over me,

8

‘The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands.Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands.’ ESV

My purpose is in His hands, His loving hands. Hands that touch and hold. My purpose is to understand and know He loves me. It is a love that calls for ‘pause.’ The word ‘selah’ comes with the word ‘purpose in this Psalm. What does this mean? Wikipedia can help illuminate this usage,

From Wikipedia,

The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon shows that the main derivation of the Hebrew word selah is found through the fientive verb root סֶ֜לָה which means “to lift up (voices)” or “to exalt,” and also carries a close connotational relationship to the verb סָלַל, which is similar in meaning: “to lift up” or “to cast up.” The word סֶלָה, which shifts the accent back to the last syllable of the verb form, indicates that in this context, the verb is being used in the imperative mood as somewhat of a directive to the reader. As such, perhaps the most instructive way to view the use of this word, particularly in the context of the Psalms, would be as the writer’s instruction to the us is to

Pause (my emphasis) as we pray.

This day, everyday, try to pause in prayer – pause before, as , after you approach Him.

Lift, sing; pause for Him as He stopped and paused for you.

Hosanna.