-December 20, 2022-
Good morning, happy Tuesday,
“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
“And Joseph and Mary His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him” (Luke 2:33).
Mary and Joseph experienced one of greatest miracles in the history of mankind. The things they saw and heard about Jesus were so amazing it caused them to marvel. God does miracles even today. We should never be surprised by what God has done, is doing, and will do for us. It made Mary pause to ponder the things shared by the shepherds and by Simeon about Jesus and what would happen to her. A sword would pierce through her own soul when in thirty three years our Savior would be crucified on the cross.
The word ponder is defined by dictionary.com as “to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate often followed by over or upon.” This is exactly what Mary did. She took the things she heard about her Son to heart and treasured them there. It made a huge impact on her life. If God could do this miracle in the birth of Jesus, He could do anything. The same is true of us. If God could save us from our sins, He can do anything. He is a God of the impossible, improbable, and the incredible. The angel Gabriel told Mary, “For with God nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37).
When we take the time to ponder what God has done, we are reminded of His faithfulness; when ponder what He is doing, we are strengthened in whatever we are going through; and when we ponder what God is going to do for us in the future, we have such hope. There is a great hymn the Lord brought to my mind entitled, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.” The third verse says, “Praise to the Lord, who doth proper thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder a new what the Almighty can do, if with His love He befriend thee.”
Proverbs 4:26 says, “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.” When we treasure the Word of God in our hearts, it will affect us in countless ways. In Mary’s case, it happened years later when at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, where she, Jesus, and His disciples were in attendance. She knew in her heart what Jesus could do. She found out that they ran out of wine, a disaster at a Jewish wedding celebration. She Jesus told Jesus about it and He turned water into wine, the best wine. Only Jesus can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. Wine is a symbol of joy. He turns our sorrow into joy. It was the first miraculous sign that Jesus did in Galilee where He manifested His glory. The incident is found in John 2:1-11. We will never run of joy when Jesus is in our hearts.
When we spend more time pondering, we will be less likely to find ourselves floundering. Have a blessed day meditating on the Lord and His ways. Stay safe and healthy.
Pondering anew what the Almighty can do,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 