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Delegates to the Cascade Division’s women’s retreat experience selah and seek life messages.
by Lisa Van Cleef, Captain –
Selah. It’s a word found frequently in the Psalms. It’s also a way of living life. At least that is what author and speaker Nancie Carmichael shared with women gathered at the Cascade Division’s Spiritual Retreat, under the leadership of Major Jolene Hodder, divisional women’s ministry director.
Over 160 women gathered at Eagle Crest Resort in Bend, Oregon to enjoy Carmichael’s teaching from her book, Selah: Stop, Think and Step into the Future.
Selahs are those times in life that God gives us to pause and reflect. They can be found as the seasons of life change, as circumstances change, as lives grow and develop.
“The consequence of selah, is that we hear Jesus and fulfill his words,” said Carmichael.
As an example, Carmichael spoke about the Shulamite widow. When her husband died and she was left with debt and the threat of having her sons taken to repay the debt, she found herself in a selah moment. She had the opportunity to determine the message of her life.
The widow approached the prophet Elijah. She had only some oil, but she acted on Elijah’s words and became a woman known for her great faith in God.
“Seasons of life change, but God always starts with what we have and where we are,” Carmichael said. Every woman must find her life message. Each has the gift of heritage, of choice and of life passions, that shape who she is and what she does. As selah moments come, we all have the opportunity to discover what the message of our lives will be.