Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14
I have been meditating on Psalm 139:14 lately as I continue my health and wellness journey. This journey has been complicated by the obstacles left behind from my complex trauma, and yet, I know this is the path the Lord has me on.
It is so easy to get distracted by all the obstacles around you and miss God’s amazing creation. The Enemy wants us to be focused on anything besides the Lord, but I do not want to give him the satisfaction, so today, I turn my attention and focus on what the Lord says about our bodies.
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” (Psalm 139:14)
Meditating on scripture is an amazing thing. I will read it over and over again, becoming curious about what particular words mean or why the writer chose those particular words, or why he wrote them that way. There are no accidents in God’s Word. Everything that is included in there was intended by God to teach us more about Himself.
Today I am focused on the section that says, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” What does that mean? Why is it significant?
The Hebrew word for “fearfully” is the verb “yārē’.” One way it is used is, as we would expect…to fear or be afraid, but the secondary definition of the term caught my attention…to stand in awe of, be awed. The third usage is similar…to fear, reverence, honor, or respect.
That is so interesting to me and makes me think of watching an amazing artist at work, like Bob Ross. I can sit there for hours, watching him create a stunning piece of art. I am constantly amazed at how each stroke, color, and movement would all come together to create something extraordinary when none of them seemed to go together individually.
That awe is the same feeling we should get when we look at our bodies and how they were created. As I continue to learn more about my body and how it works, I am constantly in awe of the Master Creator.
The word for “wonderfully” is the Hebrew word “pālâ.” It means to be distinct, marked out, be separated, be distinguished. Let that sink in a moment. The Creator made us distinct, separate, and distinguished…meaning we are all different…one of a kind. Every single one of us is one of a kind.
He carefully crafted us to be exactly as He designed us to be…to be the work of art that makes people stand in awe of the Artist. I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel rather special.
How often do we compare ourselves to others and come out on the short end? They were created to be exactly who they are, and so are we. Comparison robs us of our joy, wonder, and amazement of God’s skillful artistry because we’ve taken our eyes off the Creator and have focused on the created.
Today, I will stand amazed at the love, care, and effort God put into creating me, and I will do as the Psalmist says…I will praise God for His amazing work.
