“Ponder”

K. Douglas Bassett

Moro. 10:3; 2 Ne.4:16: 1 Ne.11:1; D&C 138:1; Conference Report, Apr. 1980, p. 5

“To ponder is to meditate, to think, to feast, and to treasure. It is more than a mental method, it is a spiritual striving to obtain and to understand truth. We should follow the process taught by the Savior to the Nephites as he taught them sacred principles. He then instructed them to ‘Go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow’ (3 Ne. 17:3).” (L. Lionel Kendrick, Ensign, May 1993, pp. 14-15)
“When our children were young, … we decided to read the Book of Mormon with the goal to complete the book by the end of the school year. Each morning we read a chapter before breakfast, and we reached our goal. While I would not wish to take anything away from the good things that came from that experience for all of us, we reflected in the end that perhaps our focus was more on our goal than on what we were learning in the process. In the early-morning rush hour that ended at the breakfast table, we had little time to share ideas or ponder on the meaning of God’s word in our lives. [3 Nephi 17:3]… . The Savior has given us a pattern to follow as we study the scriptures We hear the word, we ponder upon its meaning, we ask our Heavenly Father to help us understand, and then our minds and hearts are prepared to receive the promised blessings. Pondering is more than reading words; it is searching for meanings that will help us as we relate to one another and as we make choices in our lives. It is allowing the word to move from our minds to our hearts. The Spirit bears witness to our hearts as we prayerfully seek to know the things of our Heavenly Father… . By so doing, we help … [our children] keep the eternal perspective always in focus so they never forget who they are and where they are and where they are going.” (Anne G. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 1998, p. 10)

Latter-Day Commentary on the Book of Mormon

References