PONDER

To PONDER:  
to consider, think on, meditate on, deliberate, contemplate.  

The Bible teaches us to be both quick to react AND to ponder things.  At times it’s good to be a 
quick reactor like the Apostle Peter; at times it would be wise to be a ponderer like Solomon.   

Solomon, under inspiration, wrote his pondering in the book of Proverbs.  There is some wonderful advice about what we should thoughtfully consider and ponder in this book.

Prov 4:26   “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” 

 

Be careful in your walk as a child of God; someone is always watching just to see how you handle situations.  One's walk should reflect the light of Jesus in their heart. 

Not only are others watching and gauging our reaction to situations, God is also doing some pondering and considering in our lives.

Prov 5:21   “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings.”

Prov. 15:3   “The eyes of the Lord are in every place; beholding the evil and the good.”

Nothing we do or say is hidden from the Lord.  He sees any secret sin we are harboring as well as all the excuses we make for not serving Him.  But, Praise The Lord,  He sees all of our heartaches and sorrows.  God sees everything at all times.  We can find comfort in this truth if our walk is according to His Word.  Consider this scripture, also from Proverbs:

Prov 21:2   “Every way of a man is right in his own eye; but the Lord pondereth the hearts.”

While He sees everything we do, the Lord also ponders our heart.  To me, that means that regardless of what I think about, act upon, or neglect to act upon, God sees the true intent of my heart.  

Bible examples of ponderers:  

MARY, the mother of Jesus and DANIEL

Daniel 7:28   “Hitherto is the end of the matter.  As for me Daniel, my cogitations (thoughts) much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me; but I kept the matter in my heart.”

Daniel  was very affected by what God had revealed to him concerning the end times.  Daniel kept these things in his heart.  You see, his heart was the treasury and store-house of divine things.  Daniel wasn't keeping these things a secret from the world; rather he was storing them away in order to fully and faithfully deliver them to God’s people in God’s time. 

The truths of God’s Word are treasures worth keeping.  The way to retain these precious truths is to ponder or to meditate on them.  Meditation on the Word is an integral part of daily Bible study.  I regret not putting forth enough effort to memorize scriptures when my brain was a bit younger.  However, if scriptures are meditated, pondered and deeply thought about they can become hidden within your heart.  Scriptures are safely stored in the heart that belongs to the Lord.

And finally, we come to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Here's a scripture that gives us a glimpse into the heart and soul of Jesus' mother.

Luke 2:19   “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered 

them in her heart.”

After Jesus' birth and the shepherd's visit, the Bible reveals to us that Mary was a ponderer.  The shepherds declared very publicly the glorious coming of the Messiah, but Mary kept these matters close to her heart.  If anyone had first-hand knowledge of the marvelous conception and birth of the Messiah it certainly would have been Mary, but her role in this was not to be the announcer of the event.  This is a great lesson for us:  God’s message must be shared in God’s way and in God’s time – not ours.  We should never declare something the Lord has not laid on our heart to share.  Prayer and pondering will reveal to us what God wants us to share.

There was another event in the pondering life of Mary that she kept in her heart.

Luke 2:51   “And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them; but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.”

This scripture comes after the trip to Jerusalem when Mary and Joseph became frantic when they could not find Jesus.  When reunited, Jesus recognized Mary and Joseph's anguish over his absence.  Jesus made Himself subject to them as their son.  Though she was His mother, Mary did not perfectly understand all of her Son's sayings, yet she kept them in her heart.  Mary expected that these matters would be explained to her at some point, and she would fully understand them; then she would know how to make use of them in God's time.  She pondered them for a later time when she could better understand them. 

I would encourage you to spend some time every day pondering God’s Word.  Because the Word of God is a spiritual Book, its truths can only be understood and applied in a spiritual way.  Don't allow Satan to misguide you into thinking meditating and pondering on God's Word is a waste of time.  It is essential to the child of God, but it does require setting aside time.  If finding the time seems difficult (or impossible) with your daily schedule, ask God for help.  God is the God of time and has equipped His children with everything we need, including time, to hide His Word in our hearts.  Remember, it’s not necessarily about the number of minutes you spend pondering God’s Word, it’s about the willingness of your heart to try.

Blessings to you,

Pamelyn