For you created my inner 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

There have been several times in my life when this verse has captured my heart and stirred me like no other. For instance,

When I first became a Christian and understanding the depth of God’s love for me.
When I was expecting each of our beautiful children. This verse reminded me of how God was in control and the precious cargo I was carrying were first created by the Creator.
When I taught prenatal classes. For 15 years prior to becoming an ordained pastor, I had the honour of guiding women and their partners through the joys of pregnancy and childbirth. I wanted my clients to embrace the miracle of what was happening. I wanted them to appreciate the awesomeness that even without being conscience of it, a human being is being formed within her womb! This verse laid the foundation for me.
And today as I reflect and pray over my son and daughter-in-“love” as they expect their first child, our first grandchild. This cherished little being they carry is fearfully and wonderfully made, first and foremost, by God.

David, the author of Psalm 139, points out in other portions of the Psalm that God knows everything about us; God’s presence is inescapable; and God thinks about us so much that such thoughts can not be numbered. In this scripture we read that there is a God who has a design, a plan for each one of us, with all of our complexities and intricacies, God has designed us uniquely. God knit us together. God wove us together. God was intentional about our design — which means there is no part of us that is a mistake or mishap or a blemish. And that sets the tone for where David, the author of Psalm 139, takes the text next. David burst into an expression of praise when he says…. “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”.

Fearfully and wonderfully and not words we often use to describe ourselves. But here in the text, it has a really robust meaning.

Fearfully means to be in awe of, or to bring reverence too.

Wonderfully means to be distinguished by; to be distinct or set apart.

And that sets the framework for everything that David is trying to communicate.

David is telling us that we— you and me — are people who are set apart. We are people who are created and designed to inspire awe, not just in one another but in the world. This is cause for David to worship and praise God.

There is much we can glean from this passage but the most important truth, and I pray you take this in… God has spoken over you. You are distinct, and you are aided to inspire awe in the world and in one another. So, allow that reality to shape how you show up, not just today but in the days ahead!