Have you "Treasured" or "Pondered"?

             Luke 2: 19 says, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (NIV84).  Have you ever stopped to think what “all these things” were or how she “pondered” them in her heart?  Pondering requires deep, careful thinking before coming to a conclusion.  Let’s consider all the things she had to “ponder”.

            Just some nine months earlier, she had been visited by the Angel, Gabriel, who announced that of all the Jewish women, God had chosen her to be the mother of the Messiah.  She was a young teenager, engaged to be married.  If she took the time to consider how her fiancée’ might react or how the tongues of the town gossips would be wagging, there is no indication in Scripture.  Her only response to Gabe’s announcement was “I am the Lord’s servant” (Luke 1: 38 NIV84). 

            Now, here she is nine months later, after having spent 4 or 5 days on the road, finally arriving at their destination.  Unfortunately, as she went into labor the arrival of all David’s descendants in the little village of Bethlehem meant there was no more room in anyone’s home, so she and Joseph found themselves in a cave where the farm animals were housed at night. 

            There in that stable, she gave birth to the child that would become the Savior of the world.  The Scripture doesn’t tell us but hopefully, she was assisted at the birth by Joseph’s aunts or cousins who were also there for the census.  Once baby Jesus was placed in that manger, she probably needed rest from both the delivery and the journey. 

            Unfortunately, her rest, and maybe the baby’s as well, was to be disturbed by the arrival of a group of smelly, dirty, loud shepherds who came looking for her baby.  To most people, their story probably sounded preposterous but to Mary, perhaps it was just one more miraculous event.  After all, both she and Joseph had been visited by angels, so why not the Shepherds as well?

            After they had seen the “miracle” baby, the Shepherds went on their way telling everyone what they had seen and heard.  Only then was Mary able to rest but I’m sure that sleep did not come easily that night.  She had experienced the miracle of childbirth in a way that no other woman, before or since, had.  She had given birth to the long-awaited Messiah.  She had been visited by an angel, and she had heard both Joseph and the Shepherds tell of their own visits by the angels.  Yes, she had a lot to ponder that night.

            Still, we can’t help but wonder if she stopped to think what it would be like to raise the Son of God.  Did she think about why God had sent His Son as a baby rather than a King?  Did she have the slightest inkling of what the future might hold?  We don’t know exactly what she was thinking but I’m sure she was examining all the miraculous events that she had experienced over the last months.  She had seen God move in miraculous ways, so there was a lot for her to “ponder”.

            When was the last time that we “treasured” all the things that God has done in our lives and took the time to “ponder” what they mean or what else He may have in store for us?  We may not have seen an angel, but we see the hand of God all around us.  When we trust Him, as Mary did, He provides more than we can ever ask or imagine.

            As we experience the joy of Christmas this year, I urge each of us to take a few moments to “ponder” all of God’s blessings in our hearts and then decide what we are going to do with the risen Savior.  Mary probably didn’t know a lot about what the future held for either her or her baby, but, as Christians, we know who holds the future, and we know that we can trust Him to the end.  May we join with Mary in saying, “I am the Lord’s servant”.  Who knows what grand adventures He may have in store for us if we only trust Him as Mary did!  Take time to “treasure” and “ponder”!

Luke 2: 19

Luke 1: 38

Philippians 1: 6