Psalm 139:13-14
Wonderfully Made (Classic)
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14
I don’t know much about knitting…
But I do know that knitting is a craft that requires patience, precision, focused effort and knowledge of what “it” will look like at the end.
That’s why these verses have always fascinated me. It is awesome to think that God through the Psalmist used the idea and word “knitting” to describe how we are “assembled” in our mothers’ wombs – long before we would ever be able to see the process via technology like ultrasounds. Patiently, purposefully, and with the full knowledge of our life, we are woven together in that sacred place. It’s wonderful, you might say 😉
Many times recently I have reflected on the value of life. Events like these have the impact of reminding us how precious each life is. Each day, we wake up, we get going to whatever we need to do, and rarely do we stop and think, “I am breathing – I am alive.”
Life moves so fast and gets so complicated; we take life – just being alive, for granted. And we live in a culture that seems bent on celebrating things that mostly take away from life. We also live in a time with such an emphasis on superficial appearance over character and other things of substance. It leaves a lot of people feeling ugly and unworthy and valueless.
But then we hear these words, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well,” it should stop us and awaken us to the value God places on life and our lives.
A friend named Erin is a teacher and professional make-up artist and named her business Wonderfully-Made based on this verse. She explained to me that she loves to use her gifts to bring out the “inner radiance” of women for weddings and special events, and that it is also an opportunity to talk about her love for the Lord and share the meaning of these verses.
We are created by God with an outer and inner radiance – no matter if others see it or not. And this sovereign, purposeful God doesn’t make mistakes. Every single one of us, no matter how brief or long our lives are – are wonderfully made by God for a purpose. And because He has made us “wonderfully” we have value, a value that no one and nothing in this world can add or take away from.
“You make everything glorious…what does that make me?” is a verse from the song “Glorious” by the David Crowder Band. What does that make us? It makes us able to reflect God’s glory through our words, actions, relationships and more.
Jesus, who was the fullness of God’s glory while he was on earth, added to the idea that we are “wonderfully” made when he said that he came to give us “life abundant (John 10:10).” The idea that we are not merely created to exist, but that our lives, when seeking to follow in His footsteps, will be richer, truer, more vital and more flourishing than we can imagine – wonder-full.
We are wonderful works of God. We were knitted together by Almighty God. We are invited to more than an existence, rather, to be fully alive in Jesus, and we are given the power to do so through the Holy Spirit – who is the very breath of God living inside us.
Maybe you just feel blah these days. Perhaps you have experienced the loss of a loved one recently. Possibly, you came very close to losing your life. Maybe, you are having trouble seeing any value for your life. Maybe something or someone in your life is causing you to feel worthless.
Please know this – everything about God is pointed toward life – from creation to salvation, from the cross to the resurrection, from life to eternal life, from Genesis to Revelation, from our first heartbeat until our last.
Let’s start living and praising God daily – ever more mindful of how precious this life we have been given truly is.
Amen.
Discussion Questions
- Would you say you are mindful of being “wonderfully made” by God?
- Have you had experiences where you were strongly reminded about the value of life?
- What parts of your life are about “living” and which parts are taking away life?
- Do you ever think there is more to life that what you see? Say more…
Rev. Christopher B. Wolf
Isaiah 42:7
Living Water 