Selah, My Soul

Take heart.

Gird thy loins.

Set thine face like flint.

Do not be afraid

for Shalom keeps thee in his company

When thou dost fall prey to dismay

remember the day of old-

How he scoured the field,

fighting through thorns and brambles

to unearth his hidden delight-

A fragile bloom, a testament to resilience,

the wildest lily of all the flowers-

its petals- bold and unrefined,

defiant against the winds that sought to bend it low.

Bought out of the lot,

El Quanna paid the blood price;

Thou eart His, and His alone.

Selah, my soul

With tender hands, He uprooted thee,

drawing thee from the shadows-

A lily, once orphaned in darkness,

now dances in the light of a thousand suns

established in his secret chambers

where favor and fondness nurture thee

Selah, my soul

Daughter of Shiloh,

thou hast captured His gaze.

The beauty He hath bestowed,

Washed in the fragrance of His Word,

each syllable, a healing balm.

Draped in tapestries of virtue,

woven with threads of strength and dignity 

Adorned with precious gems,

enhancing thine worth and elegance. 

He hath scoured thy heart; thine arm;

thine heart, His treasured prize.

Selah, my soul

When thou dost fall prey to shame,

remember the day is new—

Daughter of Shiloh,

thou art His gift to those who seek solace,

a graceful embodiment of promise.

Thy petals transform to wings in flight—

a gentle dove, exquisite and true.

Under His shelter, thou dost breathe life into the barren,

a sacred shade where the young flourish and bloom.

They thrive beneath thy lullabies of triumph 

to the broken glisten in thine eyes, they attune

and grow in temperance and courage of heart

Selah, my soul

Take heart.

Gird thy loins.

Set thine face like flint.

Do not be ashamed

for in Shalom’s presence, thy spirit forever resides.

***Poem Commentary***

If you so desire to know the process behind the poem

"Selah, my soul"-

Selah is a musical rest in the psalm that means to pause and take a moment to really meditate on what was just said. When it says "selah, my soul" in the poem, stop and dwell on the truth in the former stanza before moving on.

The first and last stanza of this poem is in reference to Isaiah 50:7 that reads-

"For the Lord God will help me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I will set my face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed."

The third and fourth stanzas tell of the sacrifice Jesus paid to save his chosen ones, though we are so undeserving. El Quanna is the Hebrew name for God in Exodus 34:14 and means "our God is jealous". The implications in the poem is ownership over us. This is echoed in the way he cared for the lily (his chosen ones).

The poem shares the flavor of intimacy in Song of Solomon where Christ brings the lily into his chambers to love and cherish (Holy of Holies) and how he bestows value and status upon her like the shulamite woman's lover adorned her with jewels and elevated her from slave in her brother's vineyards to his beloved bride.

There is a contrast in the stanzas-

"When thou dost fall prey to dismay

remember the day of old-"

and

"When thou dost fall prey to shame

remember the day is new-"

Remembering what God has done for us gives us hope for the future, endurance and dependance on God in the present, and fresh perspective of the past. When we feel ashamed of our past, we can take courage in that God's mercies are new every morning.

Shiloh (my middle name) in Hebrew means "gift from God" and "sanctuary; place of peace and safety". Its the place that God's presence rested, metaphorically the Holy of Holies. In other words, the lily (his chosen ones) are the offspring from the place of God's presence. In his presence, we were born spiritually.

The poem transitions from how God rescued us and nurtures us unto maturity; with his help when we abide in him, we take flight into our destinies to disciple others in love and safety, passing on our testimonies of victory which gives them courage of heart.

If Selah, My Soul made you slow down and ponder on these things, I accomplished my goal. May the things of God always be on our minds.