Selah.
It’s a word you’ll find tucked throughout the Psalms — a quiet instruction to pause, to let what you’ve just received sink in. That’s exactly the spirit behind what we’re bringing you over the coming weeks.
We’ve been sitting with our archive and curating a series of posts we believe are worth your time again — or perhaps for the first time. Not a random shuffle, but a considered journey: from the shepherd’s devotional life, through what God does, to the practice of living it out with deep trust.
We’re calling it Selah: Posts Worth Revisiting. We hope it gives you exactly that — space to pause, reflect, and go a little deeper.
We begin where the devotional life begins — with God’s Word
Psalm 119 | HE
Holly Culhane reflects on Psalm 119:33–40 and the Hebrew letter He. She highlights the psalmist’s prayer for understanding and obedience, urging shepherd leaders to seek daily discernment and wisdom from God’s Word. Holly encourages reflection on whether our lives display true learning and devotion to the Lord, reminding us that faithful shepherding begins with humble hearts fully surrendered to Him.
Transcript
This is Holly with Presence Point and welcome to our Psalms for Shepherds series. This is week 5 of our deep-dive into Psalm 119 and as an acrostic using the Hebrew alphabet, that means we are on the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, He [pronounced Hay].
When I read verses 33 through 40 of this the longest of the psalms, it seemed the song writer was seeking Divine understanding and a deeper desire for obedience. As I researched the psalm, my suspicion was affirmed, because in Hebrew, the English word for “understanding” is expanded beyond our general context which is to “perceive an intended meaning of something” to include “to discern, realize, be prudent, even to care for, to have skill, insight, and to instruct”.
What a wonderful prayer that is for us as shepherd leaders that we would understand and discern the Father’s Word and will for us, that we would care for what He says so deeply that we would have the skill, insight, prudence (or a cautiousness) to obey Him, as well as know His Word so deeply that we have the ability to properly instruct others in it!
So, today, let’s view Psalm 119, verses 33 through 40, as a prayer that we need to pray on a daily basis and let’s start today. Why don’t you open your Notes App or grab a note pad and, as I read these verses, jot down where the Holy Spirit prompts you to linger, where He whispers to you, “This is something you need to work on. Ponder this. Understand it. Discern what it means for you, today.”
Psalm 119:33-40 (He)
33Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared.39 Turn away the reproach that I dread,
for your rules are good.40 Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life!
I’m going to read those verses one more time, this time from the New Living Translation. I’ll do my best to read them more slowly than before. But, please take time to ponder, pray, listen deeply, and personalize the message from the psalmist.
33 Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
35 Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.36 Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!37 Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word.38 Reassure me of your promise,
made to those who fear you.39 Help me abandon my shameful ways;
for your regulations are good.
40 I long to obey your commandments!
Renew my life with your goodness.
Is there any portion of that passage that you need to pray more deeply over so that you can read it or pray it and mean it? Now is the time to do just that, fellow under-shepherd! The psalmist speaks of learning, of obeying, of delighting, of fearing, and of longing.
Does that describe us as under-shepherds of the Good, Great, and Chief Shepherd? Does that describe you as a shepherd mom, shepherd dad, shepherd pastor, shepherd business operator? Do you long for God’s Word, His will, and His ways? Do you want to learn more of God’s word and understand what it means for you? Do you truly desire to obey it and obey Him? Do you delight in what He says? Are you in awe of our God? Do you long for Him?
Of course, with those questions, come these questions: Would the people in your life who are watching your actions and hearing your words, would they say that you are demonstrating those characteristics toward the Father? Would the sheep in your life say that you are a shepherd after God’s heart?
I believe it was a Scottish poet who once said, “O the gift that God would give us to see ourselves as others see us.” Our God does see us clearly. And if you’ve listened deeply to this psalm, you may well feel like I feel and need to admit there’s room to grow in your learning, your obedience, your delight, your fear, and your longing toward God. If so, I offer this closing prayer of the Puritans, modernized a bit for us in the 21st Century:
“Searcher of Hearts,
It is a good day to me when you give me a glimpse of myself;
Sin is my greatest evil,
but You are my greatest good;
I have cause to loathe myself, and not to seek self-honor,
for no one desires to commend his own dunghill.
My country, family, church fare worse because of my sins, for
sinners bring judgment in thinking sins are small, or that God is not angry with them.
Let me not take other good men as my example, and think I am good because I am like them,
For all good men are not so good as You desire, are not always consistent, do not always follow holiness,
do not feel eternal good in sore affliction.
Show me how to know when a thing is evil
which I think is right and good,
how to know when what is lawful comes from an evil principle,
such as desire for reputation or wealth by making unethical or immoral loans that unfairly enrich the lender.
Give me grace to recall my needs, my lack of knowing Your will in Scripture, of wisdom to guide others,
of daily repentance, want of which keeps You at bay, of the spirit of prayer, having words without love, of zeal for Your glory, seeking my own ends, of joy in You and Your will, of love to others.
And let me not lay my pipe too short of the fountain,
never touching the eternal spring, never drawing down water from above.”
May the “He” portion of the Hebrew acrostic known as Psalm 119 touch you and change you deeply today. Thank you for joining me this week.
DIGGING DEEPER QUESTIONS:
- As a busy under-shepherd, when do you make time each day to be in God’s Word?
- Is your heart in a position of asking God to help you understand and discern what His Word is teaching you today?
- Is there an area where you need to turn your heart to God and away from selfish gains?
