“For you formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well.”
– Psalm 139:13–14
I love this chapter in the Bible. These verses, Psalm 139:13–14. Just picture the psalmist overwhelmed by the beauty and the wonder, the majesty of God’s work in the womb. The way he crafted you and me formed our inward parts knit us together. What a picture of what is happening in the womb. God himself is wonderfully forming a child in his image and this is you. This is me. Don’t get over this. Just let it soak in where you are right now. You have been crafted. God himself has formed you.
We praise God for crafting us together. He has made everyone fearfully and wonderfully in His image. May we promote the beauty and wonder of Psalm 139:13–14 throughout the world.
You know, I think we all have tendencies to think, “Oh, I wish I looked this way. I wish I had this gift. I wish I had what that person has.” Stop, stop and realize you have been fearfully and wonderfully made by God himself. His hands have knit us together. In particular, I think about the special needs area of our church and the families and children and adults with disabilities that are a part of our church and I see amidst what the world might say is not wonderful. I see the good hand of God creating every single person fearfully and wonderfully.
Now to be sure none of our bodies are perfect in this world and there is coming a day when all of our bodies will be resurrected. “For those who have trusted in Jesus will be resurrected perfectly like his glorious body.” 1 Corinthians chapter 15 we cling to that truth. We cleaned that hope. So, when our bodies are aching, we cling to that truth and that hope amidst special physical needs that we experience in our lives, our families and church family around us, we cling to that hope.
God Does a Beautiful Work in A Mother’s Womb
At the same time, we don’t for a second doubt that God has done wonderful work and every single person he has crafted and created and as a result we work to promote the beauty of this picture. Especially when we think about the sin of abortion. Taking this child being crafted, knit together by God himself and removing its life, interrupting this wonderful work God is doing. And I know there are people listening to this right now who likely have had abortions or encouraged abortions or supported abortions.
I would just encourage you to bring that before God, to confess sin, confess de-valuing and a dishonoring of his work in the womb and to receive mercy. If you have confessed this before God, be reminded of mercy. He loves you. He loves you so much. You don’t walk around with a scarlet A on you. Indeed, you have been forgiven by God according to his abundant mercy, restored to God and all glory be to his name for the beauty you now see in Psalm 139:13–14 and the beauty you can promote in the world around us that we all are called to promote.
Like abortion, this is not merely a political issue. Rather, it is a biblical issue and it’s not just about children. It’s about beautiful women created in the image of God, who God is doing this work in their womb. It’s about men who are by God’s grace, a powerful part of seeing new life created. This about all of us saying, how can we glorify God in a culture that is missing the beauty and the wonder, in a world that’s missing the beauty and the wonder of Psalm 139:13–14.
God Crafted Every One Of Us
Oh God, help us we pray. We praise you for creating, crafting, forming, knitting us together and our mother’s womb. Every single one of us. We praise you for the way you have made us. So help us to see ourselves today. I pray this just over everybody. Listen to this life. So help us to see ourselves today is fearfully and wonderfully made in your image by you and, oh God, we pray you’d help us to work. Help us work to promote the beauty and the wonder and the majesty of what we read here in Psalm 139. God, we pray. We pray that right now there would be someone who is considering abortion, someone who is about to perform an abortion, God, that they would not do it.
God that by your grace you would keep that life from being taken. Oh, God, we pray for that right now and pray that you’d use our lives, our families, our churches, to work for life, life in children, life in women and men, and who you’ve created us to be as beautifully crafted in your image. Furthermore, to experience the wonder of being made by you. Help us, Oh God, to promote life in children, in women in men as your image-bearers, as those who have been crafted and formed in your image. For your glory. We praise you for Psalm 139:13–14. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
