The Power of What We Ponder

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭119‬:‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. 

There is so much power in what we ponder.  

The author of Psalm 119 could have meditated on his fear or his offense, but instead he chose to meditate on God’s words. The result is an entire chapter (the longest one in the Bible) reflecting on the character of God and the love of His Word.  

Last week we looked at the principle that our lives are lived from the inside out—that what is on the inside will come out in the form of words, attitudes, behaviors, etc. We talked about the truth that God has to do a work within us in order to do a work through us. 

And here’s the thing—what we ponder plays a catalytic role in this concept.

We cannot always control what enters our mind, but we can control what we do with what enters. Every thought that enters our mind is like a seed, and no seed can grow and come to life without water. What we ponder—what we meditate on—is the water which brings life to the seeds of thought in our minds.

So we have to be intentional about choosing which seeds we water.  

If we ponder offense, that seed will grow and come to life.

If we ponder fear, that seed will grow and come to life. 

If we ponder lust or a thing we covet, that seed will grow and come to life. 

But when we ponder the things of God and the Word of God, those seeds will grow and come to life.

And whatever seeds grow and come to life end up dominating the landscape of our heart and mind because they choke out the growth of the others—and produce their fruit in our lives. 

There’s so much power in what we ponder. 

Oh Lord, thank you for your Word. Help us to have the discipline to water the right seeds of thought so the wrong ones will be choked out and the right ones can produce their fruit in our lives. Amen.