18 - Advent
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
Christmas–Advent 2023
Day 18 | MARY PONDERS
Christmas–Advent 2023
Day 18 | MARY PONDERS
MARY PONDERS
Luke 2:19-20
“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”
We don’t know how long the shepherds stayed with baby Jesus that night… but eventually, they left and were probably amazing spokesmen (the first evangelists?) for what the LORD had just done!
One of the phrases here that often gets overlooked, I think, in the telling of the Christmas story is verse 19: “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Another version puts it this way… “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
That’s a great verse. First, Mary “treasured all these things.” She valued them, enjoyed them.
TREASURED means “to hold or keep as precious. To cherish and prize.” (Dictionary). For example, we can cherish and prize our children and grands; they are precious to us.
But then she also “pondered them in her heart.” To PONDER is “to think or consider especially quietly, soberly and deeply.” (Dictionary). A synonym is “ruminate: going over something again and again in one’s thoughts but often with inconclusive thinking.”
Mary couldn’t have fully understood God’s grand plan, of which she was a part. As is typical for the LORD, He gave her just the information she needed and not too much to confuse her.
“God’s ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher than our thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)
So, my question today: How much time are you spending TREASURING and PONDERING? We can (and should) treasure all His blessings every day. Beyond that, we can PONDER what He is doing in the world. We may not understand it all, but we can think about it and conclude by saying, “You’re God, and I’m not. Thank You for that!”
Prayer: LORD, it is true that only YOU are God. Thank You for your fantastic plan, which included your Son, your ONLY begotten Son, coming to earth as a baby. All because of Your love for us. Amen.
Luke 2:19-20
“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”
We don’t know how long the shepherds stayed with baby Jesus that night… but eventually, they left and were probably amazing spokesmen (the first evangelists?) for what the LORD had just done!
One of the phrases here that often gets overlooked, I think, in the telling of the Christmas story is verse 19: “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Another version puts it this way… “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
That’s a great verse. First, Mary “treasured all these things.” She valued them, enjoyed them.
TREASURED means “to hold or keep as precious. To cherish and prize.” (Dictionary). For example, we can cherish and prize our children and grands; they are precious to us.
But then she also “pondered them in her heart.” To PONDER is “to think or consider especially quietly, soberly and deeply.” (Dictionary). A synonym is “ruminate: going over something again and again in one’s thoughts but often with inconclusive thinking.”
Mary couldn’t have fully understood God’s grand plan, of which she was a part. As is typical for the LORD, He gave her just the information she needed and not too much to confuse her.
“God’s ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher than our thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)
So, my question today: How much time are you spending TREASURING and PONDERING? We can (and should) treasure all His blessings every day. Beyond that, we can PONDER what He is doing in the world. We may not understand it all, but we can think about it and conclude by saying, “You’re God, and I’m not. Thank You for that!”
Prayer: LORD, it is true that only YOU are God. Thank You for your fantastic plan, which included your Son, your ONLY begotten Son, coming to earth as a baby. All because of Your love for us. Amen.