Redeemed Woman

I will be sharing some thoughts from my study on Psalm 139. “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) is a popular catch phrase teaching in women’s ministry today. I see it used a lot in women’s devotionals and on t-shirts and coffee mugs to boost women’s sense of value. Unfortunately, this is misleading and misses the mark when women quote this verse and yet still have their eyes on themselves. I do believe this is a serious spiritual malpractice with devastating eternal consequences. My prayer is that as you read through this blog post you will start to see verse 14 as it was intended. It is quite long but I promise the truth-seekers out there (versus self-seekers) will find it worth the time.

Psalm 139:1-6 (ESV)

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
³ You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our thoughts, our hearts, and our actions and behaviors (Psalm 44:21; Matthew 9:4; John 2:24-25). Sometimes we do not even know what will come out of our mouths before we speak, but the LORD knows. His omniscience is amazing! What is more amazing (if that was possible) is that His providential hand is all around us. This all-encompassing knowledge and orchestration for all things to work together for the good of those who love Him is too much, too wonderful for the human mind to grasp (Romans 8:28; Romans 11:33-36).

Psalm 139:7-12 (ESV)

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

There is not one place in all of existence that is void of God. For those who hope in God, His omnipresence gives us much sufficient comfort… “for darkness is as light with You.” Some of us may follow in the folly of Adam and Eve trying to hide from God when He is calling us (Genesis 3:8). Others follow Jonah’s folly trying to run away from God’s presence (Jonah 1:3). But the truth here is that there is no place between the highest heavens down to the depths of hell that can hide us from Him (Job 26:6). Even in hell, the unredeemed are constantly reminded of God as they suffer His eternal wrath (Revelation 20:10, 15). There is no place nor distance nor time where God does not make His presence known. No matter where we are, we are God’s creation living in His physical and spiritual universe under His divine laws and order (Colossians 1:15-17). There may be freewill, but there is no such thing as autonomy apart from God (Psalm 139:9-10).

Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV)

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ 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.

When we read verse 14 in its context, we find that the psalmist is not directing our eyes on ourselves – how awesome and valuable we are. Instead, we find that the psalmist is magnifying the greatness and awesomeness of his Creator just as he was all the previous verses. He makes this very clear by saying first “I praise You” and then “wonderful are Your works”.

God’s creative power not only called into existence the majestic heavens and everything under the sun, but it is undeniably evident to the psalmist as he ponders his own existence. Amazing that even in the womb God is actively working to give life! Contrary to theories of evolution and random existence by chance, God purposefully formed and knitted you and I. We are not random collections of atoms but were made, “intricately woven”. We must remember though that no matter how awesome a creature is, it is still only a creature that was made. To read verse 14 and walk away praising ourselves instead of giving our praises to God alone is idolatrously sinful (Romans 1:21-23).

Perhaps you have no praises to your Creator because of some physical deformity or illness. My dear sister, take your eyes off yourself and keep your eyes on Him. Your imperfections do not de-value you, but your value is defined by the fact that the all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful God is your Creator. This truth will set you free to whole-heartedly worship and praise God.

Psalm 139:17-18 (ESV)

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

I can just feel the adoration from the psalmist’s heart towards God in these verses. His praise and worship for God are ever in his heart and on his lips. The first thoughts when he awakens in the morning are praises to God. Do you feel overwhelmed when you think about Who God is? Is He who you think about as you fall asleep and wake up? To ponder His greatness and then to think that He so loved us as to send His One and Only Son, Jesus, to die and suffer in our place for our redemption into eternal life…I am left in awe.

Psalm 139:19-22 (ESV)

Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
    O men of blood, depart from me!
²⁰ They speak against you with malicious intent;
    your enemies take your name in vain.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
²² I hate them with complete hatred;
    I count them my enemies.

What a change in tone! But, if we follow the context we will see the psalmist’s train of thought. The psalmist’s complete awe and adoration for God is so genuine, so strong that he will have nothing to do with people who are against or hate God. He takes any offense towards God personally as malicious intents toward God from others cut him to the heart. He calls such people “wicked”, “men of blood”, and God’s “enemies”. Is this how you feel when those around you speak maliciously against God? Does your heart burn with holy anger (John 2:13-17)?

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!

We have established from verses 1-6 that God already knows our hearts and thoughts; we cannot hide anything from Him. The psalmist is asking for God to search and try his heart as an expression of declaring his submissive truthfulness and transparency to God. Our hearts are deceitful above all else and many of us are deceived (Jeremiah 17:9). God will put us to the test not because He doesn’t know our true hearts and wants to see what they are really like, but to reveal the true nature of our hearts to us. This is His great mercy! He reveals any grievous ways (such as jealousy, pride, idolatry, hypocrisy, etc.) in us so we can confess and turn away from those grievous ways and place our trust in Jesus. The psalmist here surrenders himself to the ways of God which will lead him to everlasting life. Just as God created our physical life, God is also creating our spiritual lives until Christ is formed in us (Romans 8:29; Galatians 4:19).

What trials of testing are you going through right now? Is God making the true nature of your heart known to you for repentance? How is the testing making you more like Christ? (James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-9; 1 Peter 4:12-19)

Sisters, it has been a pleasure sharing with you my meditations on Psalm 139. I pray that your mind has been transformed to fix your eyes on His awesomeness. May your heart rise to praise Him when you hear the words “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. There are so many other thoughts I have on this beautiful Psalm. I would love to hear some of yours in the comments. May the Lord open our eyes to His ways and lift our burdens!