Bible in a Year - Women’s Thematic Reading Plan | Day 70

Day 70 of the Women’s Bible Plan: Read Luke 2:15-20 and reflect on Mary, who quietly kept and pondered the things she had heard and seen. Through the visit of the shepherds, the wonder of those who heard their testimony, and Mary’s quiet reflection, this devotional invites women to slow down, treasure God’s Word, and practice thoughtful meditation on His works. 

🌸  Dear Sister, welcome to Day 70 of our reading journey. 

Luke 2:15-20 records what happened after the shepherds heard the message of the angels. They said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” They came with haste and found Mary, Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

After the shepherds saw the child, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning Him. All who heard it wondered. The scene is full of movement, testimony, and amazement: the shepherds go quickly, see with their own eyes, and then go out to proclaim what they have heard and seen. The people who hear them are astonished. Yet in the middle of these outward voices and reactions, Mary’s response is quiet and deeply meaningful.

Scripture says, “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” This sentence reveals a quiet strength in Mary’s spiritual life. She was not without emotion, and she was not indifferent to what had happened. She had just given birth, was holding her baby in humble surroundings, and was hearing shepherds repeat the words spoken by angels. Everything before her was both wondrous and real, glorious and lowly, joyful and perhaps overwhelming.

Mary chose to keep these things in her heart. She did not let this holy moment become only a passing emotion. She did not allow the noise around her to scatter the weight of God’s word. She stored up what God had done, what God had spoken, and what others had witnessed, and she pondered them again and again.

Today’s theme, “Mary: Keeping These Things in Her Heart,” invites us to reflect: In a world of constant information, quick emotions, and endless pressure to respond, are we still willing to make quiet space for God’s Word and works? Can we learn not to rush to evaluate, not to rush to share, and not to rush to answer, but first to bring what God is doing into our hearts and ponder it in prayer?

Mary’s quietness was not passive silence. It was faithful meditation. She believed God was at work, even when she could not fully understand. She treasured God’s word, even though much of the future remained unknown. She kept all these things in her heart because she knew they were not ordinary news, but signs that God’s saving plan was unfolding.

A Minute of Grace

Luke 2:15-20 records what happened after the shepherds heard the message of the angels. They said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” They came with haste and found Mary, Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

After the shepherds saw the child, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning Him. All who heard it wondered. The scene is full of movement, testimony, and amazement: the shepherds go quickly, see with their own eyes, and then go out to proclaim what they have heard and seen. The people who hear them are astonished. Yet in the middle of these outward voices and reactions, Mary’s response is quiet and deeply meaningful.

Scripture says, “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” This sentence reveals a quiet strength in Mary’s spiritual life. She was not without emotion, and she was not indifferent to what had happened. She had just given birth, was holding her baby in humble surroundings, and was hearing shepherds repeat the words spoken by angels. Everything before her was both wondrous and real, glorious and lowly, joyful and perhaps overwhelming.

Mary chose to keep these things in her heart. She did not let this holy moment become only a passing emotion. She did not allow the noise around her to scatter the weight of God’s word. She stored up what God had done, what God had spoken, and what others had witnessed, and she pondered them again and again.

Today’s theme, “Mary: Keeping These Things in Her Heart,” invites us to reflect: In a world of constant information, quick emotions, and endless pressure to respond, are we still willing to make quiet space for God’s Word and works? Can we learn not to rush to evaluate, not to rush to share, and not to rush to answer, but first to bring what God is doing into our hearts and ponder it in prayer?

Mary’s quietness was not passive silence. It was faithful meditation. She believed God was at work, even when she could not fully understand. She treasured God’s word, even though much of the future remained unknown. She kept all these things in her heart because she knew they were not ordinary news, but signs that God’s saving plan was unfolding.

Whispers for the Heart

1 The shepherds heard, saw, and proclaimed, and the people who heard them wondered; but Mary kept all these things in her heart. In your own life, are you often carried along by outward voices, other people’s reactions, or your own emotions? Is God inviting you today to slow down and give your heart space to think about His works?

2 Mary did not fully know what the future would look like, but she kept the things God had spoken and done in her heart. Are there experiences in your life that you still do not fully understand: a sudden change, an unexpected leading, a confusing season of waiting, or a process whose meaning is not yet clear? Are you willing not to rush to conclusions, but to bring these things before God and ponder them with Him?

3 To “keep” these things in the heart means to treasure, remember, and preserve them. It also means not allowing God’s Word to be quickly scattered by daily life. Do you currently have regular time to read Scripture quietly, pray, and remember God’s grace and reminders? If not, how might you begin a simple practice today so that God’s Word can remain more deeply in your heart?

As you read Luke 2:15-20 today, do not only notice the joy and proclamation of the shepherds. Also notice Mary’s quiet heart. Her story reminds us that true spiritual life is not only experiencing God’s works, but also treasuring, pondering, and responding to them in the heart.

Take a quiet breath before you begin. Bring the noisy voices, unsettled emotions, and still-unclear experiences in your heart before the Lord, and let His Word meet you there.

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🪕 Response Hymn:  

Luke 2:15-20 (KJV) 

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

🪕 Response Hymn:  

💡 Closing Thought · Keeping God’s Works in the Heart 

After reading Luke 2:15-20, we see the shepherds joyfully proclaiming what they had heard and seen, and the people wondering at their words. Mary, however, kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. She did not let God’s work become only passing news. She did not allow the wonder of that moment to be quickly scattered by life. She placed these things in her heart, slowly pondering and deeply treasuring them.

As we close this page and return to real life, perhaps many things still wait for your attention today. Perhaps your heart still carries questions without answers. Perhaps you do not yet fully understand God’s recent leading. Remember this: not everything needs to be explained immediately. Some things need to be pondered slowly before God, received slowly, and understood slowly.

May today’s Scripture remind you to make room for God’s Word, to keep memory of His works, and to give your own heart space for stillness. May you not lose the ability to listen in the midst of busyness, not stop pondering when you do not understand, and learn in ordinary days to keep God’s grace, one piece at a time, in your heart.

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