THANKFUL FOR OUR MAKING

“I WILL PRAISE YOU, for I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY MADE; marvellous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well” – Psalm 139:4

The musings of King David, inspire us to be THANKFUL for OUR MAKING: “I WILL PRAISE YOU, for I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY MADE; marvellous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well” (Psalm 139:14). David testified to how God made him fearfully and wonderfully, with dignity, significance, and worth. You and I were not made any less! God paid personal attention to intricately form us in our mothers’ wombs. Even now, He acquaints Himself with all our ways and words (vv.3-4); keeps us perpetually in His Presence (vv.5-9); leads and holds us closely through darkness and light (vv.10-12); formed, knew, and predestined us from the womb (vv.13-16); and has precious and plentiful thoughts about us: “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” (v.17).

The Living Bible translation of Psalm 139:14 says: “THANK YOU for MAKING ME so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvellous – and how well Iknow it.” To be fearfully and wonderfully made speaks of the care and attention with which God has custom-made each of us. None of the billions of human beings that are or have passed through the planet earth was mass-produced. We’re not churned out in a mechanistic manner. Each of us was individually hand-crafted and there’s something unique about our making!

There is usually a sense of awe and fearfulness when a parent holds his or her first child for the first time, because they are suddenly aware of how precious, amazing, and awesome this bundle is in their arms. There's something fearful about us and that actually doesn't change when we grow up and are no longer innocent babies as we once were. There is something so intricate and meaningful about how God has made the human being that we really should be in awe of Him. The human body is not just a temporary container for the spirit and soul, it is an extraordinary work of art, and a complex assemblage of systems and processes, wonderfully crafted by the God of all creation.

We should not take our existence for granted. We owe God gratitude for His unique creative capabilities in making each of us. I am thankful to God for: the 100 trillion cells in my body; the more than 70 kilometres of nerves in my skin; my small intestine which could stretch to 6 meters if removed from the body; the over 600 muscles in my body; the more than 2 billion times my heart has beat at an average of 70 beats per minute, from the womb and for the past 63 years; for my brain which is about 85% water, yet would never fail to function; the 52 bones in my feet; and 17 muscles that assist me in smiling. What a Glorious, Marvelous Making!