A few days ago while reading through Haggai, I noticed that the word “consider” occurs four times in this little book of two chapters.  Twice when the word is used, it says “consider your ways.” God doesn’t want us to walk aimlessly through life, but rather He wants us to live with purpose and intentionality. I think taking time to “be still” (Psalm 46:10) and “consider” is an important part of this. When we hurriedly run through life, it’s easy to lose focus and track of where we’re going. But if we’re taking time to “consider,” we can hear and know the voice of God, receiving counsel, courage, and direction from Him.

So when thinking about the word “consider,” three areas I need to consider immediately came to mind.

(1). Consider who your God is. “Who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that doeth wonders” (Psalm 77:13b-14a). “The people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32b). The more I ponder the wonders of knowing God, the more impressed I am with the need to know Him. Knowing Who He is will transform my thinking, my responses, and my life.

(2) Consider where you have come from. “That the generations to come might know them… that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments” (Psalm 78:6a, 7). We see this on a large scale, especially in our family, because we’ve been blessed to be 3rd-4th generation Christians. But what about the 5th generation? Will they know the works of God, or will my generation forget where we’ve come from and what we’ve been given and fail in passing on the faith? And then on a “small” scale, there are so many examples of God’s mercy toward us in day-to-day life, yet we miss so many of them in our busyness. These “little” things (like safety in working with lawn equipment, or protection for us and the van in the two close-calls we had last week traveling home from VA, or the number of guests that God has sent to the park this season…) are so important to remember, too.

(3) Consider where you are going. “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18a). What are my goals, and why are they my goals? Am I spending time in selfish pursuits or investing it into eternity? What are the motives what I’m doing?

I think taking time to consider helps to fill our hearts with expectation for what the Lord wants to work in our lives. Today, even in the midst of your packed schedule and rushed busyness, take a few moments to consider, and praise the Lord for His daily mercies upon you.