Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
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I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.—Psalm 139:141
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This verse is nestled inside a psalm that is full of great meaning and doctrine. The psalmist is talking about the omnipresence and omniscience of God. How that we cannot flee from God’s seeing eye nor experience anything that He is not aware of. … These verses give the assurance that God is with you regardless of what you are experiencing in life at the moment. At times when you feel like God is far from you, this great psalm brings comfort as a reminder that He is ever present and aware of your problems and needs.
[In verse 14 of Psalm 139 David] praises God because God created the psalmist, as well as each one of us, in a wonderful way. God made us the way we are and for a specific purpose. When we understand that, then we can have peace that whatever ailments or perceived problems we have in life are there because God ordained them.—David Peach
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A recent book from the publishers of Time magazine catalogs the world in photos. Page after page, up close and from great distances, the camera unveils beauty, marvel, mystery. From the intricate industry of the beehive, to the playful spouts of Beluga whales, to the salmon fishing of the grizzly bear ... everywhere we look, wonders await. They abound.
Do you realize that every morning one of the world's great wonders stares back at you from your mirror? The Bible tells us we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” What better start to your day than to reflect on the miracle o you—compliments of the Creator of the Universe.—Howard Butt, Jr.
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You are special! You are part of a magnificent, vast, overall plan. You can’t see that plan, but I can. You can’t see how beautifully you fit in with the overall panorama of life and the balance of the universe, but I can. Someday you will see it too, and you will marvel together with Me at how wonderfully everything came together.
You are unique. There has never been a person like you, nor will there ever be another just like you. That’s one of the things I like most about you. Resist the temptation to look at yourself negatively or to focus on what you think are your shortcomings, weaknesses, inabilities, your less-than-perfect body or personality or whatever. You are fulfilling the purpose for which you were created. I love you just the way you are, and I love you as though you were the only person in the world.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
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God wove you. Like a tapestry, each of us is a complex creature.2 All of our parts work together; each with a different job to do and all depending on the other parts.3 God works with the skill that confounds man. We recall the first creation which began it all.4 When God formed that initial human pair, He skillfully added mechanisms which would operate on the basis of natural law so that they would be able to re-create themselves. The Psalmist correctly identifies God as the Master Worker who is the source of our origin.
This should elicit praise and thanksgiving from our hearts.5 We are “fearfully” (awe) and “wonderfully” (to distinguish) made. Each of us [is] unique in many ways, but also similar in many; each an original masterpiece of the Creator. Don't deny this aspect of your identity (too many have done so). God can use your special abilities6; He has a purpose for you!—Jon W. Quinn
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Psalm 139:14 makes the well-known statement, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” … What does it mean?
First, these words are a clear statement about the amazing capabilities of the human body God has created. Our bodies are made of billions of cells and a myriad of parts that can only be adequately explained by a loving and wise Creator and Designer.7
Second, this verse gives an indication of our value from God's perspective. He designed us. Much care is involved in the creation of each human being. As the verses immediately following say, “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”8
Third, this verse reveals the inestimable worth of all human life. A direct application of this verse is the protection of life at all levels, from the womb to the final breath of a person’s life. This is why Christians care deeply about the protection of life in the womb,9 caring for those mistreated or undervalued by others in society,10 and for the elderly and those with terminal illnesses. As 1 John 4:19 shares, “We love because he first loved us.”
Fourth, God’s qualities of having all power (omnipotence) and all knowledge (omniscience) are revealed in this verse. God asked Job, “Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?”11 It’s a rhetorical question; the answer is, of course, God. No one else can take the credit for creating every person. No one else knows each person at the most intimate level. The same God who created the universe12 also knows the number of hairs on our head.13
Finally, in this verse we find yet another reason to worship the Lord Almighty. He has created us in such wisdom, power, and love, and the only proper response is to honor Him and glorify His name. As the Psalms note elsewhere, “There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.”14—Compelling Truth website15
Published on Anchor November 2014. Read by Debra Lee.
1 NIV.
2 See Exodus 26:36.
3See 1 Corinthians 12:14–18.
4 See Genesis 2:7, 22; 1:27.
5 See Psalm 139:14.
6 See Psalm 139:16.
7 See Genesis 1:26–27.
8 Psalm 139:15–16.
9 See Psalm 139:13.
10 See Proverbs 31:8–9.
11 Job 38:36.
12 See Genesis 1:1.
13 See Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7.
14 Psalm 86:8–10.
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