“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. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 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.”
– Psalm 139:13–16
Is that not awesome? Is that not overwhelming, encouraging, emboldening, to know that God from the very beginning formed your, my, inward parts. He knit us together. You are knit together by God himself. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God himself. And you are wonderfully made by God, and from the very beginning not only did He make you and form you, but He has watched over you from that moment until this moment, and promises to do the same in all of your moments. Your days, your times, are in His hands. Is that awesome?
Psalm 139:13–16 Leads Us to Praise God
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
All of us were surprised over the last few months by developments in the world, and how they’ve affected our lives, but God was not surprised. God has held us in His hands since we were in our mother’s womb, and He holds us in His hands today, and He will continue to hold us in His hands tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day.
Psalm 139:13–16 is nothing short of awesome, breathtaking, mind-blowing, and encouragement giving. So I’m reading these prayer requests that people are sending in, in light of this pandemic around us. This one, again, these are from prayer requests. I invite you to continue to send them in.
Psalm 139:13–16 Reminds Us to Pray for Others
This one I’m not able to use names specifically for, but basically the story is, two children whose mom has died over the last couple of weeks, and whose dad is not able to take care of them, and therefore they are being brought into another home, another family, family members who are taking these two children in.
I just can’t imagine all of the emotions, and all of the heartache, and all of the challenges in each one of these precious little children’s minds, and hearts, and the family who is bringing them in, loving them, and caring for them, and unique challenges with this situation amidst mourning the loss of a family member, children mourning the loss of their mom to adjust to a whole new picture of family and life in the midst of everything else going on.
It’s these kinds of circumstances where when I read Psalm 139:13-16 I just give God praise, and glory, and honor, and want to pray over these kids and this family, because it sure is good to know that the God of the universe holds those kids in His hands, holds this family in His hands. So God, we pray that these children in particular would know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made by you, watched over and cared for by you. May they know your love for them. God, may they know this. During each one of these days, may they know this all the days of their lives.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray for Grace
God, we pray. We pray that these kids would know your love for them, would know your provision for them, your care for them in the midst of these hard days, and amidst challenging days that lie ahead. God, we pray for the family members who are taking them into their home. We pray for an extra measure of grace to know how best to love these kids for your grace, and strength even as they are mourning the loss of a family member and then bringing in new children into their home.
God, we pray that you would give them all the grace they need. All the help they need, that they would know these days are in your hands as well. That their times, their moments, that just like you formed them in the beginning, you promise to help them today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray for Blessings
God, we just pray for your blessings on this family. And then by extension, oh God, to all kinds of other families, children, moms, dads, single brothers and sisters, walking through uniquely challenging times. Right now we praise you that you formed us from the beginning. Also, we praise you for promising to lead and guide our every day. We look to you, the one who made us fearfully and wonderfully, and we rest in you alone.
We trust in you alone. And we need you, seek you, and love you. Oh, we worship you oh God. And we pray that you would lead, and guide, and direct our days by your grace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
