Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

When I was young, my parents thought it was important for their children to memorize Scripture. They tried all sorts of things. One that worked was to actually pay us. So they paid us a dollar to memorize. Okay, well, it wasn't that liberal. We would get a dollar to memorize a chapter, and the chapters that were available were of their choosing. So I memorized texts like Psalm 1 and James 1 and the like. And they have served me well. I found, later in life, that memorizing Scripture gives God a vocabulary, so to speak. On many occasions He has answered a question or prayer of mine by bringing to mind this passage or that verse.

One of my favorite chapters was Psalm 139, and, given my problems with self-image, I suspect my mother chose that one specifically for that purpose. There are important themes in this psalm. There is the absolute confidence that God is present and personal (Psa 139:1, 3-5). There is a broad assertion of God's Omnipresence (Psa 139:7-12). There is the very personal "O LORD, you have searched me and known me!" (Psa 139:1). This is bolstered by the reminder that God thinks of you (Psa 139:17-18) and the prayer, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psa 139:23-24).

In the middle is this glorious concept, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psa 139:13-18). David claims that God Himself "knitted me together in my mother's womb." (Psa 139:13). (Why that doesn't give self-identified Christians pause regarding abortion eludes me.) Perhaps you can see why this chapter would have something to say about self-image. David claims, "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." (Psa 139:16) Think about that for a moment. Before you were born, God already had your days written down. He already knew what your life would look like. He already knew your choices, your successes, your failures, your idiosyncrasies, your strengths and weaknesses, your talents and shortcomings. He knew who your spouse would be and if you would have kids and ... it was already all written down.

For some people that's not helpful. They don't believe it or they don't like it. They don't want to think that God, like a Divine Author, wrote it all down before I ever made a single choice. They think it's a violation of my free will. Maybe it's infringement on my right to privacy or something? Me? I love it. In a world like ours when things look bad or things go bad, I love it. When a president I like or a president I don't like gets elected, I want to know that God wasn't left out of the loop. When a daughter comes down with cancer or a loved one dies suddenly, I want to know that it wasn't a surprise to my God. When I'm facing a challenge, I want to know that God isn't puzzled about the situation or the outcome. I want to know that a good God is there all the time and nothing eludes Him. We are indeed complex creations -- fearfully and wonderfully made -- and I am delighted to know that even though my doctors can't tell me what's causing this problem or that effect, God knows intimately and will always do what's best. Some may not like this; I find it immensely comforting.