You Are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made – Part 1: Day 10

You Are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made – Part 1: The human body is the most complex and unique organism in the world, and that complexity and uniqueness speaks volumes about the mind of its Creator. Every aspect of the body, down to the tiniest microscopic cell, reveals that it is fearfully and wonderfully made. Also, a unique design of multiple systems that all work intricately together. You have the innate ability to discern right from wrong. Although, that ability is hindered somewhat until you connect with your Creator. He didn’t just design you to do your own thing. He created you so you would desire an ongoing relationship with Him. The cardiovascular system gives you the energy to move. The muscular system gives you the ability to move, lift, and hold things. The digestive system processes food into energy and discards waste. The immune system keeps you healthy. The hormonal system determines your gender. The eyes cause you to see. The nose lets you smell. The tongue and mouth let you eat and taste. The ears enable you to hear. And your skin enables you to feel textures. You have the ability to encounter an incredibly diverse world with an equally amazing diverse body. Your emotions help you to relate to other people and feel compassion. All of these systems and many more were uniquely designed to make you who you are. You were designed with an intense need of your Creator, God. In Psalm 139:14, the psalmist, David, is praising God because he is overwhelmed by the majesty of a God who could create him in such an intricate and unique way. The word “wonderfully” is the Hebrew word “pala”, which means to be separate, distinguished, or unique. “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth” Psalm 139:14-15 (NKJV).

To be fearfully and wonderful made includes every person from the womb to the tomb as human beings who bear the image of God. “Fearfully and wonderfully made” means God intimately knows every person and all humanity belongs to Him. You are a masterpiece. You are a priceless work of art. It is because God is wonderful, that we are wonderful. Now let’s take it one step further, it is because we are to fear God that we are fearfully made. So, when God says you are fearfully made, what He means is when God made you, He made you full of respect, reverence, honor, and awe. However, what is the opposite of praise? It’s criticism. So, when we say we are worthless, not enough, or insignificant, we are not only criticizing ourselves, but we are also criticizing the God who made us! But God doesn’t make mistakes. Because all humanity is fearfully and wonderfully made, the Creator and Lord knows the hairs on our head and has such detailed and precise knowledge of our lives down to the very nanosecond of when we will be born, live, and die. To know we are fearfully and wonderfully made by the Lord, we need to understand the smallest details of our lives occur according to the plan of the Lord. The Word of God contributes to our understanding of this subject by highlighting the all-knowing, all-present, and complete knowledge of the Lord. Such knowledge reveals the Lord is not a casual observer who takes knowledge in as we do. “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will” Ephesians 1:11 (NKJV).

Basically it means that God made you to be special. This verse says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. The “wonderfully” part might be easier to understand without needing a deeper level of explanation. But the fearfully part?! That’s a very interesting word for David to use isn’t it? The word “fearfully” used in this passage of scripture is the Hebrew word “yare”, which is the same word the Bible uses when referring to have a “fear of the Lord”. When the Bible speaks of “fearing the Lord”, it doesn’t mean we are to be terrified of God. We aren’t to be constantly walking on eggshells, quivering in fear before God. Instead, what “fear of the Lord” is referring to is we are to have a respect and reverence for God. You are the only you that God has ever created. God made you to be special, distinguished, and unique. In these verses the word “fear” isn’t used in reference to being absolutely terrified of God, but instead to have a deep respect and reverence for God. We follow God and obey God because we respect His ways and who He is. We stand in awe of how great and mighty our God is and we come to Him in praise because He is worthy of our praise. We are only great because it is the greatness of God that makes me great. “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NKJV).