Ponder vs. Wonder

Ps. 119:^105-106 “Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again and again: I will obey these wonderful laws of yours.” (TLB)

To be positioned for God’s blessings, particularly this season and beyond, we have to cooperate like Joseph, celebrate like the shepherds, and contemplate like Mary. Mary contemplated. Luke 2:^17-19 “When they had seen him, they told what the angels had said about this child. Everyone was amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured these things and CONTINUED TO THINK ABOUT THEM.” (NCV, emphasis added). What did Mary do right? Mary paid attention. The others were amazed, but Mary paid attention. Do you pay attention to God’s Word? God has been speaking to us all through the year; there have been things that burned in your heart. What did you do with these words? Did you ponder or were you just amazed?

Did you ponder? Did you take the Word and wrestle quietly with it, pondering on God’s Word like Mary did? While everyone else wondered, Mary pondered. To get all that God has for you and me, this season and beyond, we have to go beyond wondering at God’s Word to pondering on God’s Word. Everyone was amazed, flabbergasted if you will, they wondered about all that the shepherds said. You would think that would mean something, right? But it did not. Mary was amazed too, but she moved beyond being amazed to pondering. Mary thought about it and about what it would mean. In John 2, at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, Mary said to Jesus, ‘They have no wine.’ and Jesus responded, ‘What is my business with that?’ But Mary went ahead to instruct the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. Why? It is because she had incubated Jesus. Mary knew the Word; she was a woman of the Word. Are you a woman of the Word, or are you a woman of the world? Are you a man of the Word, or are you a man of the world? What dictates your decisions? What is it going to be, the Word or the world? If you want to be blessed like Mary, you have to contemplate continually on God’s Word. The question is, what will happen if you contemplate God’s Word this season? James 1:²⁵ “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”  The Bible did not say that God would bless you for highlighting the Word or underlining the Word. These perhaps are signs of pondering, but pondering should lead to doing, and God will bless you for doing it. So, because you will ponder on God’s Word this Christmas, God’s blessings are assured.

Josh. 1:⁸ “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” In addition to God’s blessings resting upon us this season, when we ponder on God’s Word, we will succeed in what we do. This Christmas, in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, God’s blessings will rest on you, and you will succeed in all that you do.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I ask for the grace to meditate on and do God’s Word, in Jesus Name. Amen!