Fearfully and wonderfully made

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” - Psalms 139v14-16

“God made me” – a very simple phrase which is the very first question in many catechisms. It is so simple that sometimes its simplicity gets in the way of the depth of its meaning. Christians can sometimes have very low self-esteem. While pride and arrogance are often a problem, there are times when Christians simply don’t like something about themselves, or they don’t like who they are.

When this happens people are forgetting the wonderful truth that God did indeed make each and every one of us. The beautiful wording of Psalm 139 is a wonderful reminder of this great truth about why we should praise God for who we are:

I am fearfully and wonderfully made
God did a marvelous work in me
My substance was not hidden from God
I was made in secret and mystery

In all of this:

God saw my substance
All of my members were “written in His book”
My life was fashioned according to His plan

There is a saying which is rotten English, but which really hits the nail on the head. “God don’t make no junk.” God made each one of exactly the way He wanted us. His plan is perfect. I have the physical characteristics He wants me to have. I have the personality that He designed for me. While these are not excuses for sin or character flaws that need to be dealt with we need to remember that each of us is the person that God fearfully and wonderfully designed us to be. Lets use those traits to serve Him with all of our might.