Ponder Box

Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart 

(Luke 2:19)

“Do you have a ponder box?” she asked the ladies in the breakout session of a retreat.  To their puzzled expressions, she reminded them of Luke 2:19, which tells us that Mary had a ponder box which she must have used from time to time.

During His lifetime on Earth, Mary would see her Son misunderstood, misquoted, denied and rejected by those who expected the Messiah to come in power, throw off the Roman rule, and set up an earthly kingdom.  When Jesus did not meet their expectations, He was branded a blasphemer by the religious hierarchy, who eventually caused His death on the cross.

Mary, being Jewish, had undoubtedly been brought up with the same beliefs about the Messiah. Over the next few years, there would be times when, as Jesus’ unfolding ministry failed to fit the pattern, questions must have come to her mind regarding the angel’s proclamation.

“How could it ever become a reality?” She must have wondered.  It wasn’t that she doubted God’s message; it was just that, under the circumstances, things didn’t seem to be headed in the right direction. 

At those times, Mary must have recalled all that had happened: the angel’s visit; the miraculous conception; Cousin Elizabeth’s unborn baby’s reaction; Joseph’s belief in her purity; the virgin birth; the shepherds’ visit to the stable and their account of the angel’s proclamation; the wise men guided by a significant star; the journey to Egypt which saved their newborn’s life; his infancy and childhood during which he did nothing wrong; Jesus’ astounding the learned men when he was only 12 years old.  On and on it went.

The evidence was all there.  So many otherwise inexplicable events, and fulfillment of prophecies of old.  These must have been memories she pulled from deep inside, and pondered  in her heart. And as she remembered, her faith must have been renewed, bringing peace to her troubled mind.

We all have times when we look at a situation and wonder how it can possibly come to a satisfactory conclusion. We pray about it and do our best to trust God, but still the questions come.  Our hearts tell us that He is faithful to answer prayer, but our heads, failing to see how He is going to do it, plunge us into despondency.  And when the head outpaces the heart, fear overpowers faith. 

At times like this, it is good to turn to our ponder box, recalling God’s faithfulness in the past, in our own life as well as in the lives of others.  We can be assured that just as He dealt with seemingly impossible situations in the past, He will be faithful to take care of our present concerns.

“Everyone needs a ponder box,” she encouraged the ladies that day, and went on to explain. “ It can be an actual box into which you put slips of paper with dates and ways God answered specific requests. Or it can simply be a mental note you are able to recall the next time the haunting questions come.  Either way, the secret is to follow Mary’s example and ponder all these things, letting God use them to reassure you and soothe your troubled heart.

                                         Lord, when we recall what You’ve done in the past,
                                         all the answers to prayers You have given;
                                         then Your peace soothes and settles our hearts
                                         as fear from our thoughts is driven.
                                        Thank You for loving us just as we are,
                                         with all our weakness and flaws.
                                         Thank You for memories of other times,
                                          to ponder, as trusting, we pause.