Ponder

 

This morning I woke up with a single word resting on my heart—ponder. Now that’s not exactly a word I use in everyday conversation. I don’t usually wake up thinking, “Well, I believe I shall ponder today.” But because it’s Christmas season, I knew that word didn’t just wander in on its own. God must have placed it there for a reason.

 

Psalm 64:9 says,“They will proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has done.”

That verse settled into my spirit like a warm quilt on a cold morning.

 

When I think of the word ponder, my mind immediately goes to Mary. The young girl chosen by God to carry the Savior of the world. Scripture tells us that Mary “pondered these things in her heart.” And that word, ponder, carries such tenderness with it. It’s not rushed thinking. It’s not shallow reflection. It’s the kind of remembering that holds something close, turning it over gently again and again because it matters too much to forget.

 

Mary had a lot to ponder.

 

She pondered the angel’s visit - can you imagine cooking supper one minute and then being told you’ll carry the Son of God the next? I’m certain she replayed those words in her mind again and again: “You are highly favored.” 

 

She likely pondered her visit with Elizabeth, the wonder of two miracle pregnancies meeting under one roof and the sound of laughter mixed with holy awe. And then there was the night of Jesus’ birth - shepherds bursting in with wild-eyed stories of angels, a manger standing in for a cradle, the Son of Heaven wrapped in simple cloth.

 

Luke tells us she treasured and pondered all of it.

 

The Greek word used in the scriptures for ponder is symballo, and it means to toss around or throw together. I find that comforting. Mary didn’t have neat, tidy answers. She had holy fragments - angel words, prophetic songs, midnight shepherds, baby cries, and she tossed them around in her heart, trying to make sense of the wonder.

 

And oh, what a lifetime of things she had to ponder.

 

From scraped knees and carpenter’s tools…To water turned into wine…To storms calmed with a word…To blind eyes opened and dead hearts awakened…All the way to a cross, a borrowed tomb, and finally, an empty grave.

 

No wonder she spent her life pondering.

 

There’s a beautiful Christmas song that asks the question - “Mary, did you know?” Did she know that her baby boy would walk on water? That He would save both the broken and the proud? That the child she held would one day hold the whole world together?

 

That song always reminds me that Mary wasn’t just a holy figure—she was a human mama with a wondering heart.

 

As Christmas draws closer, I feel that same gentle nudge to slow down and ponder. Not just skim past the story, not just rush through the season, but to hold tight to the wonder. To ponder what God has done in Scripture… and what He has done in my own life.

 

Because when we ponder, we don’t just remember, we proclaim His works without ever speaking a word.

And maybe that’s why “ponder” greeted me this morning. A holy reminder to pause. To reflect. To treasure. To let the miracle sink in all over again.

 

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of this sacred season and for the gentle reminder to ponder Your goodness. Help us slow down long enough to reflect on the wonder of the manger, the miracle of the cross, and the power of the empty tomb. Teach us to treasure what You have done—not just in Scripture, but in our own lives. Like Mary, may we carry Your promises close to our hearts and trust You with every unanswered question.

In Jesus’ precious name,

Amen