Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvellous, how well I know it. Psalm 139:14 (NLT)
Psalm 139 is one of the most well known Psalms in the Bible. Written by King David, this song expresses his wonder and amazement at how well God knows us. David is amazed by the knowledge that God knows our every thought, he is always with us, that even before we were born, we were known by God.
That’s incredible, isn’t it? Now, I’m one of those people who loves to spend time with God in nature. I always find it easier to pray outdoors, I’m most ready to listen to God when I’m alone in wild places. I love to look at the stars at night, or the light sparkling in the waves by the sea. I love the smell of the earth in forests and the feel of the rain. Sunsets and twilight are my favourite times of day because the sky turns such beautiful colours. It’s easy for me to wonder at the natural world, but it’s much harder for me to remember that the same God who made the stars and the flowers and the sunsets, also made me.
Isn’t that strange? I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking this way. So why do we have this disconnect?
The Bible explains that sin has distorted and broken our view of God, the world, and ourselves. Sin leaves us feeling like we’re not pretty enough, not strong enough,not man enough…just plain not good enough.
The way we see ourselves isn’t always in focus or whole, like trying to use a broken mirror, the image is distorted and fractured. But God who made us, carefully knitting us together, knowing us inside out before we were born. He’s the one who sees who we really are most clearly.
Reading Psalm 139 can remind us that despite the struggles we might have with the way we look, we have been hand crafted by the one who made the stars, the moonlight, the sunsets and every wonderful thing you can think of. He made all those wonderful things, and he made me too. Let’s read Psalm 139 today and ask ourselves this; if the God who made the stars made me just as carefully and lovingly, does he think I am any less wonderful than all those stars? And if we’re still not sure, lets look to the cross and remember that it was for you and me that Jesus died. To him, we are wonderful.