Psalm 139 — Fearfully and Wonderfully Made — Aneel Aranha

You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand —
when I awake, I am still with you.
If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139 is one of my favorite psalms. It is a breathtaking reflection on God's omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipresence (ever-present). David marvels at the fact that there is no place he can go, no thought he can harbor, where God is not already there, fully aware. "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me," he says. "You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar." It can be unsettling knowing that God knows everything about me, but it can also be comforting knowing —well— that God knows everything about me. 

However, let's focus on another aspect of this psalm: the idea of being "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). David is in awe of how intricately God has crafted him, right down to his innermost being. This isn't just a nod to the marvels of human biology, though that in itself is wondrous. It's a deeper acknowledgment of the unique soul, personality, and purpose that God bestows upon each individual.

Now, why is this so important? We live in an age where identity, self-worth, and individual purpose are subjects of much discussion and sometimes even contention. This psalm offers a grounding perspective. Before the world could label us and before society could place its expectations upon us, we were known by God. And not just known in a cursory manner, but deeply, intimately known. Every strength, every flaw, every quirk was seen and cherished.

Paul echoes this sentiment in his letter to the Ephesians. He writes: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). Just as David recognized his unique crafting by God's hand, Paul reiterates this in the context of our life in Christ. We're not just random beings floating through life; we are God's handiwork, designed with a specific purpose in mind.

So, when we grapple with questions of identity, worth, or purpose, let Psalm 139 remind us of our first identity, the one given by our Creator. It's an identity rooted not in what the world says about us but in what God knows about us. And he knows us better than we know ourselves. 

Read or listen to this psalm again, and then continue to meditate on it through the week, making the last words of the psalm your prayer: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Amen.

God bless you.