My mom and I love to watch old movies together. And on more than one occasion, my mom has circled back to a film in conversation, a few days later. “I’ve been thinking about that movie we watched,” she usually begins. And then she shares something truly insightful—like how the power of forgiveness was on display or how attitude and perspective made a difference for the main character.
Both of us watch the exact same movies, but because my mom ponders them—while I simply applaud and move on—she gains far more than I do.
The truth is, “pondering” isn’t just something we ought to do at art galleries and film showings. Our everyday life and faith could be richer and deeper, if only we would reflect on them instead of rushing through in distraction.
Mary is a beautiful example of this reflective lifestyle in how she responds to the shepherds’ message in Luke 2:17-19:
“When they saw it, they publicised widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child. All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.” (WEBBE)
Mary didn’t just applaud the shepherd’s message and move on. She kept their words in mind and pondered them, long after the fact.
Don’t you know that, as she did that, she gained deeper insights into what God was saying and doing? And don’t you know that strengthened and encouraged her for the challenging days ahead?
Mary’s practice of “keeping and pondering” can also strengthen and encourage us, if we will adopt it.
All those years ago, she pondered what the angels told the Shepherds about Jesus. And in that very same message, we find two things we can keep and ponder, today:
how God kept His promise to the world
and how God is keeping His promises to us, personally.
Truth #1 to Keep & Ponder: How God Kept His Promise to the World:
Mary would have pondered these words, passed down to her through the Shepherds: “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11, WEBBE)
These words announced that Jesus was the Christ (or Messiah) God had promised all throughout the Old Testament—the Savior who would redeem and restore God’s people. They would have been hope-giving words for Mary back then and they certainly are hope-giving words for us today.
Just take a look at the world around you—or even take a look in the mirror. Do you see shoulders slumped in weariness? Do you see eyes heavy with grief or a body wracked with pain? This was never what God intended. Suffering invaded our world when humanity first sinned. Yet immediately, God promised restoration and healing through His Messiah.
At Christmas, we celebrate with angels and shepherds that God kept His promise in Jesus. He came, He won the victory and He guaranteed that His people will one day experience a full restoration of peace, joy and wholeness.
Yes, at Christmas we replay the story and we applaud what God has done.
But do we, like Mary, keep and ponder these truths long afterward—when Christmas lights have given way to the darkness again? Sadly, I can’t say I always do. And that means I miss out on the bright hope God wants to give His people.
In all our dark places of suffering, we must remember the light of Christmas—that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises and restoration is coming.
Truth #2 to Keep & Ponder: How God is Keeping His Promises to us, Personally:
Mary also would have pondered these words, passed down by the shepherds: “This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.” (Luke 2:12, WEBBE)
God, through His angels, had made personal promises to Mary. He promised that she would give birth to God’s own Son, who would save His people and reign forever. Those were glorious and lofty promises for a girl to be given! Yet, as they played out in Mary’s real life, it wasn’t glamourous. It involved stress and dirt and pain.
Think about it: Mary was likely accused of moral failing when her pregnancy first came to light. Then, she had to give birth in a filthy, stinky stable. And soon, her little family would have to flee the country because king Herod wanted Jesus dead.
It sounds like these words from the shepherds came when Mary needed them most. They reassured her that even though the path wasn’t easy, God’s promises were true. He was working them out even though she couldn’t see it. Even that stable-birth that had so surprised her, hadn’t surprised God at all. It was actually a special sign to others that Jesus was the Christ they’d been waiting for. No wonder she held onto and pondered these words! They probably carried her through many challenging days to come.
This part of Mary’s story ought to encourage each of us today. We may not always be able to see how God is keeping His promises in our lives, but He is keeping them. He’s working out good plans for us with loving intention—even in our stress and dirt and pain.
And when He does give us a glimpse of what He’s doing, we ought to hold onto it, like Mary did. We may find evidence of His faithfulness in commonplace blessings or big life changes. We may spot it in timely Scriptures or kind words from others. But whatever it looks like, we should make every effort to carry that reminder with us and reflect on it often as we go through life.
The truth is, every day holds at least one kindness from God for us to keep and ponder. And if we will collect them all, our confidence in His goodness will carry us through whatever lies ahead.
May we, like Mary, keep every evidence of God’s faithfulness and ponder them in our hearts, always.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my Advent reading plan: “God With Us.” To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2024 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
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