Just pondering

How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. (Psalm 111:2-3)

All who delight in him should ponder his deeds. What does it mean to ponder? To consider something deeply and thoroughly - we get the word meditation from this concept of pondering. Meditation isn't sitting cross-legged and chanting - it is taking time out to just dig a little deeper into the object of your attention. If God is the object right now - you are pondering!

"A season of suffering is a small assignment when compared to the reward. Rather than begrudge your problem, explore it. Ponder it. And most of all, use it. Use it to the glory of God." (Max Lucado) We may not want to admit it, but God can and does use every 'season' of our lives - good, mediocre, or really bad! Ponder these seasons - what is he doing, how are we responding, what might he be teaching us in that moment? We aren't going to grow in Christ if we ever expect to do it without some element of 'pondering' him.

Everything he does reveals his glory - that should resonate in your soul and deep within your spirit. Nothing escapes his use in your life - nothing. The tiniest of issues can reveal the biggest of victories. The greatest of victories can reveal the most hidden of virtues. We need to consider well what he is doing, for in so doing we open ourselves up to the revelation of something we may not have really known about God or ourselves. Pondering is not wasted time - in fact, it is the most beneficial use of time you may ever experience. Just sayin!

Traffic Jam - Exit Here

Attention, all! See the marvels of God! He plants flowers and trees all over the earth, Bans war from pole to pole, breaks all the weapons across his knee. “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” (Psalm 46:10)

I know life gets hairy from time to time and the busy-ness of life just seems to consume us like a black hole, but when we take time to step out of the traffic for even a short while we could just be amazed at how much smoother the journey is when we have to step back into it! There is much to be said about taking time to rest and relax, but much more to be found in taking specific time in those times that is set aside specifically to spend a little time just meditating upon Jesus. There is more refreshing to be found in those times than any other - even when he may pinpoint a particular 'rough area' of your life that requires a little attention. 

Whenever we step out of the traffic long enough to just 'listen' and 'learn' we aren't going to 'get behind' in all the other stuff that has kept us so busy. I didn't believe this at first, but when I began to take time for Jesus as a priority in my life something amazing happened. I actually got MORE done than I imagined, sometimes leaving something 'undone' that I imagined was a priority for me, but really wasn't all that important in the long run. In the moments I spent with him, he helped give me clarity, showing me the things that really rose to the top of the list for the day. If we were each honest here, we probably had way too much on our 'list' anyway!

I like how God tells us to put politics aside when we 'step out of the traffic' - almost implying that our 'agendas' get us bogged down. Politics is really anything that we have a strong opinion or allegiance toward that is kind of directing our actions at that moment. When we say someone is 'politicking', we are acknowledging they have an agenda - putting themselves forward, promoting their ideas and agenda. If we go through life always caught up in our own 'politics' or the 'politicking' of another, we are always going to be caught up in the fray of the agenda put forward. When we step out of that traffic for a while, we can see clearly that some of our 'agenda items' are not always the right ones for us to be pursuing.

Take a long look at God - what does this entail? It is probably more than staring into the vast expanse of the sky and 'pondering' his greatness, although it may include times of enjoying the things he has created around us in nature. It is likely we may take a long look at him when we ponder the scriptures over and over again, beginning to see how each time we consider a particular passage we find something 'fresh' to our spirits from within it. It is also possible we take a look at him when we draw near to him in praise, worship, and surrender of our hearts. Taking a look is done with more than our eyes, my friends -  it is done with our entire being. Just sayin!

Yum....

Do you mull things over, finding yourself deep in thought, unaware of everything else at the moment because this one thing is your focus? If you are one who turns things over and over until you get a better understanding of the object you are considering, then you are one who mulls or ponders. To ponder means that you consider something deeply and thoroughly. It involves the mind, but it also relies on the involvement of the emotions in the process. It comes from a Latin word that means to "weigh". Some of us might say that we are "reflecting" on an idea - we are simply pondering that idea (weighing the pros and cons). I find I do a great deal of pondering or mulling in the wee hours of the night when I am awakened. My mind begins to work on ideas or issues - some evading both my attention and the 'fix' all day long. In those moments alone in thought, am I really alone? I don't think so - because God is with me in those wee hours!

I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you've done it. I relish everything you've told me of life, I won't forget a word of it. (Psalm 119:15-16)

God's wisdom is to be pondered over and over again - that which comes from his Word is given to be considered and reconsidered time and time again. We must learn to "put to the test" the ideas we have running through our minds, those things that are affecting our emotions, by "weighing" them against God's Word. There is no better "scale" to measure our ideas against! Part of pondering is the idea of directing our attention toward whatever it is we are considering. There is focus - not just haphazard consideration - but determined attention toward the object of our reflection. Are we really committed to "using" the counsel God gives to make decisions about our life? Is it more important to us to  "use" what God gives than to have all the riches in the world? If so, then we are likely going to reflect upon the Word more and more!

What is the respect we have for the counsel of God? Is it a standard by which we "ponder" on life's decisions? The Word must become the standard by which we make decisions. It is the process of "pondering" that actually brings us to a place where we "learn" the Word. This allows us to have the Word available when we need it - not forgetting it. God's Word is not taken into our minds in huge quantities. It is pondered in small "morsels". A morsel is a small bit - some call it a tidbit. It is like a bite-sized candy bar - just enough to give you a taste, but not enough to send you into a diabetic coma! God's Word is "bite-sized" - specifically so we can take it in and actually 'use' what we take in. We take it in one morsel at a time - pondering the morsel until we find deep satisfaction in it. That is how it begins to be something we come to relish.

When we relish something, we have developed a "taste" for it. Many don't have a well-developed "taste" for God's Word. Perhaps this is because when it is mixed with so many other things we "take in" right along with it, we don't get a full appreciation of the "taste"! I like coffee. My sister likes honey in hers. I like a little creamer and sweetener in my coffee. We have each developed a different "taste" for our coffee. Does the coffee change? No, just our appreciation for the taste of that which is produced by either the focus on the coffee or the additives! We need to develop the ability to ponder. Pondering is not easy because we have so many distractions in our days. When we develop our habits of "intake", is it to consume or to appreciate what we consume. We often consume in quantities that are not easily digested - God desires that we take his Word in bite-sized morsels. In the morsels, we develop a "taste" for his Word - an appreciation of the hidden truths deep within. So, ponder with me today. Enjoy the morsels God gives. Develop a taste for the good things God reveals in his Word. Great delight is found not in the consuming of the Word, but in the pondering of its taste! Just sayin!

Considering God

Endless:  Of or seeming to have no limit; boundless; infinite; incessant.  Our psalmist challenges us to consider the works of God.  In fact, he challenges us to put a great deal of effort into this "consideration", then to proclaim what it is we have been "considering" rather than keeping silent about it.  There is to be a certain attitude in our consideration of the wonders of God.  It becomes apparent as we examine this passage that David exemplifies the heart of a man who has "gotten to know" God on a personal basis and is not "shy" about proclaiming what it is he has discovered.  As he begins this psalm, he begins with the words, "Hallelujah!  I give thanks to God with everything I've got..."  

God’s works are so great, worth

A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!

Splendor and beauty mark his craft;

His generosity never gives out.

His miracles are his memorial—

This God of Grace, this God of Love.  

(Psalm 111:2-4 MSG)

God's works are so great - worth a lifetime of study.  We might just glance over this if we don't take a moment to pause and consider what David was saying.  God's works - everything from his creative to sustaining power - is worthy of our consideration.  His works produce something, don't they?  They are not idle works - just fooling around in the "workshop" of creation.  They are purposeful and productive - they accomplish something.  Every word he utters either sets something in motion, or holds something in check.  Not even one word he utters lacks significance.  David says his works are worth a lifetime of study.  Hmmm...now maybe this is why God wants us to value our time of quiet with him each day - to give us time to consider his works.  We often get so busy - just glancing over his Word and not really considering his works, but it is in this considering process that we come to really "apprehend" the greatness of our God.

David says we are guaranteed a positive return on our "consideration" of God's works - endless enjoyment.  I have spoke before about times of retreat, when we just have to take time away from the busy life we lead and center again on the important things in life.  I think David had taken this to a whole different level in his life - not just "seasons" of retreat and renewal, but a daily consideration of the works of God in which he found encouragement, hope, and the basis of his trust.  Perhaps this a good "resolution" for us this year - to find a way to "consider" God each day for just a few moments - developing the "skill" of studying his works so as to find the endless enjoyment he has for us in them.

Splendor and beauty mark his craft.  Splendor could also be written as "brilliant distinction".  In looking upon the God's "craftsmanship", we see such brilliant distinction - everything he creates has a beauty unique to that creative process.  Even the "ugly" cacti of the desert have a beauty all their own.  Have you ever stopped to explore the crags of the path, seeing deep into the crevices?  The tiniest of insects crawl make this their home, protected from the elements, and far outside the reach of passing footsteps.  God created the "crag" as a brilliant display of his protection for these little creatures.  I wonder just how much we'd see of his splendor and beauty if we stopped to consider all the tiny "crags" he has created along the way in our lives?

His generosity never gives out.  In a purely physical sense, my generosity is found lacking at some point - I "give out" until I feel I cannot give anymore.  God's generosity finds no end point - there is a continual renewal of his grace, peace, love, and care.  There is a liberality and readiness which mark his generosity.  He is not a "stingy" giver - his grace cost him all he had!  Maybe this is why Paul tells the Corinthian church, "God loves it when the giver delights in the giving."  (2 Corinthians 9:7 MSG)  When we consider the example of the Giver of all things, we will be challenged to "give" in the same manner - with delight!

His miracles are his memorial.  A miracle is something which surpasses human knowledge - we just cannot explain it.  God's miracles are his memorial - they help "plant" memories of his goodness and greatness displayed in the lives of mankind.  I don't know about you, but I want more "memorials" of his goodness and greatness in my life - things which humankind cannot explain.  Things like the change of my character - transitioning me from a self-centered sinner into a creature of his love and grace.  How about you?  Want to be a display of his goodness and greatness?  What "miracle" are you expecting of God this year?  Maybe in considering what God has done already in our lives, we might just find a few memorials we can put on display for all to see!  Just sayin!