And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Mary treasured and pondered all these things, but all who heard the story of the Savior’s birth from the shepherds wondered at it. Mary was treasuring, carefully storing away, and putting them all together in her mind. The word means to keep in mind, to hold or treasure up (in one’s memory). As she “treasured” these things in her mind she was “pondering,” reflecting upon and “placing together for comparison” all of these experiences. What are you storing up in the memory cells of your heart?
Is it possible that the “all who heard it and wondered” were not only confused or afraid but also in awe of the story? Mark Batterson said, “Our lives are not just measured in minutes. They are measured in the moments when wonder invades our ordinary reality.” Psalm 139 tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made–notice “fear” and “wonder” go together. We don’t have to understand all of the how’s and why’s to experience the joy and wonder. We don’t understand and may even fear many things happening in our world right now, but we know that God can and will use anything in this world for his glory. He can cause good things to come out of the worst things.
According to one estimate, there are thirty-seven sextillion chemical reactions happening in the human body at any given time. You are digesting food, regenerating cells, purifying toxins, catalyzing enzymes, producing hormones, and converting stored energy from fat to blood sugar. That knowledge should put all of us in a state of wonder and awe of God our loving Creator who not only made us but loves each one of us as his unique and precious child.
I wonder if today we can shut out all of the distractions and just focus on the miraculous birth of Jesus who came to rescue us, puts us in a place of perfect peace while the cares of the world swirl around us, and restores our relationship with our heavenly Father. Can we in childlike wonder see the stars above us and the world around us as the miracles God gave us and offer him praise and honor and glory for the things he has done?
Deb Hill
Executive Assistant