Bible verse that says i am fearfully and wonderfully made

Psalms 139:14

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully
made
the formation of man is not of himself, nor of his parents, but of God, and is very wonderful in all its parts; it has been matter of astonishment to many Heathens, as Galen and others, who have, with any carefulness, examined the structure and texture of the human body, the exact symmetry and just proportion of all its parts, their position and usefulness; holy every bone, muscle, artery, nerve and fibre, are nicely framed and placed to answer their designed end; particularly the eye and ear, the exquisite make of them for sight and sound, have filled the most diligent inquirers into nature with amazement and wonder, and are a full proof of the wisdom and knowledge of God; see ( Psalms 94:9 ) ; no man has cause to reproach his parents, nor blame the Former of all things for making him thus, but on the contrary should praise the Lord, as David did, who has given him life and breath, and all things; or own and confess F12, as the word may be rendered, that he is in various surprising instances a wonder of nature; see ( Isaiah 45:9 Isaiah 45:10 ) ( Romans 9:20 ) ( Psalms 100:3 ) . R. Moses in Aben Ezra thinks David is speaking of the first father, or the first Adam; who was wonderfully made of the dust of the earth, and had a living soul breathed into him; was made after the image of God, holy and upright: but rather he speaks of Christ, the second Adam, his antitype, who as man is a creature of God's make, and was wonderfully made, even of a virgin, without the use and knowledge of man; is the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, the tabernacle which God pitched and not man; was produced by the power of the Holy Ghost, was born without sin, which no man is, and united personally to the Son of God, and is the great mystery of godliness; and his name is justly called Wonderful, ( Isaiah 9:6 ) . Cocceius interprets this passage of God's separating act of David, and so of others in election; which is a wonderful setting apart of than for himself, as the word is used ( Psalms 4:3 ) ; it is the effect of amazing love, and to be ascribed to the sovereignty of God, and the unsearchable riches of his grace; but this seems not to be intended here, though it is a marvellous act, as all the works of God are, as follows; rather, since the word may be rendered, "I am wonderfully separated" F13, it may be interpreted of his being separated in his mother's womb from the rest of the mass and matter of her blood, and formed from thence; which was done in a secret, unknown, and marvellous way and manner;

marvellous [are] thy works;
of creation, providence, sustentation of all creatures, the government of the world, the redemption of mankind, the work of grace and conversion, the perseverance of the saints, and their eternal salvation;

and [that] my soul knoweth right well:
having diligently sought them out, and having such a distinct knowledge of them as to be capable of talking of them, and of showing them to others, and pointing out the wonders, beauties, and excellencies of them; see ( Psalms 111:2 ) ( 145:5 ) ( 9:1 ) ; however, he well and perfectly knew, or knew so much of them that they were very wonderful and amazing: some connect the word rendered "right well", which signifies "greatly", or "exceedingly", not with his knowledge, but with the marvellous works known; and take the sense to be, that he knew them to be greatly or exceedingly wonderful; so R. Moses in Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech.

“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 (ESV)

Years ago, I sat in the newborn intensive care unit gazing at my tiny baby. He was only two days old with a full head of curly hair, beautiful blue eyes and perfect skin. He had just been diagnosed with a genetic disorder called Cornelia de Lange syndrome.

A few days earlier, I went in for my regular 38-week appointment. That’s when everything began to unravel. I was admitted early to the hospital, and my tiny baby was born. Cornelia de Lange syndrome can affect many different parts of the body. David weighed 4 pounds, 2 ounces and had only two fingers on his left hand. After an easy pregnancy, everything was falling apart.

The baby we anticipated didn’t exist, and in my arms I held a baby I didn’t know … with a future that felt uncertain and scary. My husband Steve and I were devastated. We were grieving. Every beep and buzz from the machines around us was a reminder of our new unknown. I could hardly make sense of what was happening. 

And yet, I sat there holding my precious son David, gazing at his adorable face. Verses from Psalm 139 popped into my head, reminding me “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (v.14a).

I couldn’t understand what was happening or how it would unfold, but I knew deep in my heart that David was created by God. I took a deep breath and let the comforting words of Psalm 139 speak to my heart.

“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).

My baby was not a mistake. He was precious and loved, created by God, known by God. As I internalized these truths, I began to fall in love with David and accept him exactly as he was. I could see he was amazing. 

But while I could see that David was precious, I rarely saw the same truth about myself in the midst of life’s competing demands. My mind was constantly focused on my many shortcomings and flaws:

Why can’t I lose 10 pounds?
Why am I so tired/disorganized/grumpy?
Why can’t I be a better wife and mom?
Why am I never good enough?
Why can’t I do better?  

I felt inner conflict with these opposing truths. If David was loved just as he was, I must be as well, but I sure didn’t feel it. Instead, I felt inadequate. I felt less-than. 

I had tried so hard for so long to prove I was good enough, to prove I was worth loving. I tried to be needless and want-less, believing my needs and wants weren’t as important as others. But all the trying and working and proving never changed my heart.

David taught me what brave love looks like. Brave love starts with me, and it starts with you. Brave love means being honest about what we need and want. It’s allowing ourselves to be whole people with thoughts and feelings and moods. Brave love is messy and complicated, but it also brings peace and creates space for intimacy in our relationships.

Just like David, we have all been fearfully and wonderfully made, known and loved by God to love bravely.

Father God, thank You for creating me to be ME. Your creation is good and beautiful, and I am part of that. You didn’t make a mistake when you created David, and You didn’t make a mistake when You created me. Please help me to know, deep in my heart, that I am precious and loved. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Psalm 139:17-18, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” (ESV)

RELATED RESOURCES

Read more in Lisa Leonard’s brand-new book, Brave Love, a journey of figuring out what it means to love bravely and realize there is space for you to be you. It’s full of tender, beautiful moments and broken, desperate moments and silly, crazy moments. Honest and real, we hope your heart resonates deeply with Lisa’s story. Get the details here.

CONNECT

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REFLECT AND RESPOND

How can you nurture your own heart today? What does it look like for you to live as a whole person with needs and wants?

© 2019 by Lisa Leonard. All rights reserved.

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