For divine signs, the outward level conveys what the words establish about God’s favors, power, knowledge, and attributes. The inward level is reflection upon those signs and an awareness of accountability before the One who knows and sustains all.
With Āyat al-Kursī, understanding the terms life and sustaining power is a first step. Letting those meanings deepen humility, reliance on God, and consciousness of divine knowledge is a further fruit of understanding.
Criterion: this personal response must arise from the established message, rather than being presented as a newly discovered lexical meaning.