"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…" -Psalm 139:14

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We often recite this scripture, and many may even wear it on a t-shirt or have these words printed on their bible covers.

But what does it mean to be fearfully and wonderfully made? Let's Explore:

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If we were to look at the definition of fearfully, we will find that fearfully is defined as:

• being done in a way that shows somebody is nervous or afraid,

• in a fearful manner, in an alarming manner.

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Fearfully by definition involves acting in fear or nervously doing something.

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In examining the definition of fearfully, it would leave many of us pondering how are we fearfully made when God constantly reminds us to "fear not". How can we be fearfully made when we are to fear no one or nothing except for God? How can David characterize us as being fearfully made when fear is something that the Word of God teaches us that we should not embody? Should David have said that we were fearlessly made meaning lacking fear? And the answer to that question is "Not at all!".

As it concerns this particular verse, the order of words is of extreme significance. David did not say I was made fearfully and wonderfully. He said that he was fearfully and wonderfully made. He is not speaking about fearfully and wonderfully as an attribute of himself, but he is speaking to the attribute of the one who created him, which is God, Our Creator.

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Fearfully in the context of this verse takes on a different meaning. Being fearfully made speaks to a reverence for the creative work, power, and authority of God. It speaks to an acknowledgment of God as an infinite and superior being. It speaks to acknowledging God as an unmatched being that no one can compare to. It speaks to having an honor and respect for God and an admiration for Him as Our Creator. It speaks to an understanding of the miracle of the work that God performed when He formed us.

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The way in which God created us is beyond human comprehension. We were made so intricately and so precise, that much like David, man cannot fathom God's making of the human body. Our bodies are something to marvel at as it concerns how God uniquely and distinctly crafted each and every one of us. Everything that makes up the flesh that we reside in cannot be duplicated by man no matter how hard they try because no one has the power, authority, or knowledge that God has. No matter how hard science tries, no one can duplicate what God did. No one can match His craftsmanship.

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We should have the highest esteem for God as Our Creator. As David suggested in Psalm 29:2, we should, "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness" (NIV). The idea of ascribing to the Lord is something that we briefly touched on in one of our previous posts. Ascribe is defined as:

 

• to consider something to be caused, created, or owned by someone or something,

• to give credit to,

• to credit something as a source.

 

We should ascribe to the Lord and hold Him in the highest regards for what He did when creation was made. The awe and wonder concerning how He uniquely designed, created, formed, and purposed us each with a distinct plan makes us fearfully made. God's decision to create us is a cause for us to forever praise, worship, and magnify His name. But how often do we forget to reverence God for His holiness, His omnipotence, His omniscience, His power and His might? How often do we take the time to thank God for making us a part of His plan?

 

How Wonderous are His Wonderful Works

 

In Psalm 139 in which this verse about being fearfully and wonderfully made is found, David is pouring out his heart to God. David is seeking God asking Him to handle his enemies. However, David first begins this narrative with the words, "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me" (v.1, NIV). If we were to sum up the verses in this psalm prior to verse 14, David is describing the level and depths in which God knows him. David is speaking to the omniscience of God. He is acknowledging that there is nothing about him that God is not aware of both inwardly and outwardly. It is in this that David begins to focus on how wonderfully made we are.

 

Wonderfully is defined as:

• extremely, extremely well, or very well,

• in a way or to an extent that excites wonder, astonishment, or amazement: amazingly, remarkably.

 

David begins to acknowledge that there is nowhere that he can go or nothing that he can do that won't be known to God. David acknowledges that God stays in constant and complete awareness of everything about him. David then acknowledges that the reason that this stands true is because it is God who created him. And it is then that verse 14 appears in which David exclaims being fearfully and wonderfully made. The full verse reads, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (NIV). David speaks to God creating him as a 'work'. It was not just something that happened. God had an intent. David speaks to the fact that God knew him even while he was in his mother's womb. He states that God already knew the plan that He had for him down to every specific detail before he was even born.

 

The fact that God created us in a way that allows Him to be so intertwined with us that we cannot separate ourselves from His knowledge of us is indeed a wonder for us to behold. Whether we believe in God or not. Whether we commit to Him or not. Whether we follow and obey His commands or not. Nothing separates us from God in a way that would deplete Him of His knowledge of us. Nothing that we do can change the fact that we were created with a plan and purpose whether we choose to embrace and act upon it or not. No matter who we are, what we are, or how we decide to live our lives, God knows everything about us. We cannot hide from Him. He will always be knowledgeable of all the details of our lives. God knows things about us that we don't know about ourselves. He understands and is aware of everything that goes on inside of us physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Even when man can't use science or medicine to explain what may be going on in our bodies, God is very much aware. He created every part of our being.

 

In this psalm, David praises God in adoration for the fact that God held him as a thought. As part of God's creation, each and every one of us are constantly on God's mind. David recognizes this as something special. God being omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and above all yet still caring about "little ole' us" enough to not just create us but to create us each with distinct plans and purposes and to keep us close at heart is both an honor and cause for our relentless gratitude toward Him.  

 

As we continue to read this psalm, David begins to speak to God concerning his enemies, asking God to come to his rescue. David makes known to God that these enemies that he has are not just his enemies for the sake of being his enemies but that these individuals are his enemies because they act wickedly and speak against and profane the name of God. David lets God know that any enemy of God is by default an enemy of his. David then goes on to again tell God to search him as a means of confirming that his words to God were true. He calls for God to search him and see if there was any wickedness that existed within him and if so, lead him on the right path forevermore.

 

What Do We Believe?                          

 

Being fearfully and wonderfully made should make us proud, give us comfort, and make us realize how valuable we are. However, the truth is that we far too often allow this thing called 'life' and the setbacks, challenges, pain, tears, and sorrow that are sometimes associated with it, make us feel the complete opposite of what it means to be fearfully and wonderfully made.

 

When faced with challenges, we can sometimes find ourselves in a place in which we feel like the only thing that being 'made' has brought us is constant opposition. We might all have moments in which we feel insignificant trying to figure out how we can possibly be of value to anyone else when we can't figure out how to navigate our own lives. How can it be our purpose to help someone else over their hurdles, when we are slipping, tripping, and falling over our own? It is perhaps in these moments that we need to hold on to and embrace this thought that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

 

We must realize that because we are fearfully and wonderfully made, even if we fall into a pit and experience setback after setback, God makes our struggles useful. He often uses our struggles to save somebody else. He often uses our struggles to encourage somebody else. He often uses our struggles to grow somebody else.

 

How often have we spoke of Joseph's story? From being thrown into a pit, sold to Ishmaelites who then took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, to being thrown into prison, then on to being chosen to rule over all of Egypt and saving the same family that sold him, Joseph's struggles were useful. Not just to his family but to all of us, even now.

 

How often do we find ourselves finding encouragement, strength, or taking away a lesson to be learned from all of Joseph's troubles? Nothing about his struggles may have appeared useful in the very moment in which they were occurring, but lo and behold, when it all came together, was it not indeed a finely crafted plan that God had for him? And did it not help to instill some things into us such as the importance of forgiveness, steadfastness, having hope, allowing God to avenge us, and trusting God despite what we might face. Because we are fearfully and wonderfully made, we must understand that despair is often part of the plan because it is in the despair that God is working for us so that He can then work through us.

 

Even if we were perfect, which is not possible, even if we were holy, highly anointed, and followed every single instruction that God told us to do, while it could save us from judgment, it couldn't save us from having to experience trials, setbacks, and persecution. We are going to have to face these things whether we like it or not.

 

However, although God won't save us from having to experience trials, He will rescue us from the very things that He allows us to be placed in at His own set time. He will see us through. He will vindicate us. He will avenge us. He will fight for us. And He will also reward our ability to stand firm, trust, and endure the trial that He places us in.

 

Our Plans vs HIS PLANS!                 

 

If we say that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, then that means that we must also embrace the fact that regardless of what plans we have for ourselves, our plans for ourselves can never take precedence over God's plan for us. Let's Explore the following verses from Proverbs 16:

 

"To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue" (v.1, NIV).

 

"All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord" (v.2, NIV).

 

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps" (v.9, NIV).

 

"Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord" (v.20, NIV).

 

If we examine these particular verses, they all speak to the idea of us having our own plans, our own desires, and our own ways of doing things however, so does God. And not only does God have His way for us, but we must understand that His way is better, safer, and more rewarding than ours will ever be.

 

Proverbs 16:1

We must be mindful of what's in our hearts and must be even more mindful in making sure that whatever issues we have in our hearts, we address according to God's will and not our own emotions. If we think back to Joseph, we don't know the thoughts that he had in his heart toward his brothers during those years from the time that he was sold to him finally standing face to face with them. We only know what came out of his mouth and what he acted upon after all those years when he found himself staring at the very ones who sold him. Joseph could have said so many things to them. He could have done so many things to inflict harm upon them seeing as though he had become ruler over all of Egypt, but instead his response matched God's will for both him and his family. He assured his brothers that there was no need for them to worry or be disheartened because it was God's plan that he ended up where he was so that he could save his family from the famine. Joseph chose to acknowledge God versus acknowledging the sin and wickedness of his brothers. He spoke the proper answer that God gave him. He put Proverbs 16:1 into action.

 

Proverbs 16:2,9,20

Because we are human, imperfect, and very much with flaw, we might often think that we are right about what we think, the decisions that we make, and the actions that we take. And the issue with this is that we often don't take the time to examine our hearts and ask ourselves, "Why do I REALLY feel this way?", "Why am I REALLY doing this?", or "Why am I REALLY saying this?" If we were to examine ourselves, we just might find a whole lot of resentment, vengeance, anger, unforgiveness, and envy lurking under our thoughts and actions so deep that on the surface of things, we think that we are doing things for the right reasons but deep inside we're being led by a whole lot of selfishness and negativity.  

 

Jonah's Fury                                 

 

We might think that we are nice. We might think that we are kind. We might think that we are forgiving. But oh, what chaos hides behind our deeds. What ill intent might unknowingly drive our thoughts and actions. If we reflect back on Jonah, he was SO ANGRY that God relented from bringing destruction on the city of Nineveh that he boldly told God that he would rather die than to live knowing that God did not punish them. Jonah was very adamant about his anger. Apparently, Jonah did not see that there was a problem with his manner of thinking. Even with God trying to get him to understand the importance of what He did by not destroying Nineveh and why it was important that He showed mercy and compassion toward them, Jonah was unremorseful about how he felt about God choosing to relent. Jonah wanted Nineveh to be destroyed. Jonah, a recipient of God's mercy and compassion himself, did not want God to show mercy and compassion toward Nineveh. You would think that after being saved from his own catastrophe at sea that Jonah would be eager to help save others from their potential destruction due to their disobedience and wickedness and be one that eagerly helped others to turn to God so that God could then show them the same compassion that He showed Jonah, but this was not the case. God was very much aware of Jonah's anger and his motives. However, Jonah's flawed feelings were not more important to God than having concern for and saving a people that were lost. God knew that Jonah's feelings were both selfish and merciless.

 

Samuel's Sorrow                            

 

If we reflect on the prophet, Samuel, we see a similar dilemma but under a different context with very different reactions. When King Saul messed up and disobeyed God by not destroying all the Amalekites and their belongings as God had instructed him, Samuel was upset because of Saul's disobedience to God, not because of his own judgment and bitterness toward Saul.

 

In 1 Samuel 15, when God made Samuel aware that Saul had disobeyed His instructions and expressed to Samuel that He regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel, in verse 10 we in part read, "Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night" (NIV). Samuel's reason for being upset aligned with God's anger toward Saul. Samuel's anger was not simply rooted in self. When Samuel chastened Saul as God instructed him, he did not make it about his anger toward Saul, but he spoke to Saul's action of going against the commands and instructions of God.

 

Within this same narrative, we also see that Saul admits to Samuel that he sinned and asks Samuel to go back with him so that he could worship God. Samuel denies Saul's requests and tells him that he won't go back with him because he had disobeyed God and God had therefore, rejected him. However, when Saul makes this request to Samuel a second time, Samuel agrees to go back with Saul so that Saul could worship God.

 

Regardless of how angry Samuel was at Saul and regardless of if he truly believed that Saul was wholeheartedly apologetic, he still honored the request to go back with Saul so that Saul could worship God. We don't know the exact reason as to why Samuel finally agreed but we see that Samuel did not stand in the way of Saul's attempt to try to get back within the graces of God even if Samuel had his own feelings toward it. When Samuel left Saul on that day, he never went back to see Saul again. Samuel dealt with Saul according to how God directed him to do so.

 

Although Samuel understood why Saul was punished, he still mourned over Saul. He was still sorrowful that Saul had been rejected as king. He had compassion for him and was distressed over Saul's failure. Although he was upset that Saul disobeyed God, unlike Jonah he was not bent on seeing Saul punished for his actions. In 1 Samuel 16 although we find Samuel in his emotions about Saul being rejected as king, once God spoke and told him to go anoint the next king of Israel, His chosen one, Samuel obeyed. He had some hesitance and some fear because of what he thought Saul might try to do to him if he found out that he was anointing another king to take his place, but after God instructed him how to go about it, he obeyed. Samuel had to let go of his emotions and trust what God had told him to do. Unlike Jonah, he did not remain stuck in his feelings. Samuel understood that his plans and his desires were not greater than God's.

 

Jonah vs Samuel-Understanding that God Knows Best!

 

If we look at Jonah and Samuel, they were both individuals that God used to deliver a message to individuals who had sinned against Him. We see both these individuals having some very intense emotions concerning the messages that they had to deliver, who they were delivering the messages to, the sins of the individuals involved, and what the outcome of these individuals who sinned would be. They both perhaps saw no flaw in their feelings or their reaction toward what had taken place. However, God knew the true nature and intent behind both their reactions and emotions. They both were disheartened by God's decision however, while Jonah stayed stuck in his emotions, we see that Samuel eventually let go and trusted God to be the judge.

 

In a sense, if we read Jonah 4:2, it's as if Jonah was telling God that He had wasted his time. Jonah 4:2 states, "He prayed to the Lord, 'Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity' (NIV). Jonah actually prayed to God to tell Him that he felt like sending him to Nineveh was pointless. Jonah did not see the joy in the fact that God had used him to turn an entire wicked city away from their wickedness. For reasons beyond any of our knowledge or understanding, Jonah would have rather been instrumental in bringing destruction on the people of Nineveh than ushering them into repentance.

 

On the other hand, we see that Samuel would have probably experienced extreme joy had God given Saul another chance. Samuel knew that there was nothing that Saul could do to change God's mind about removing him as king. In 1 Samuel 15:28-29, we read, "Samuel said to him, 'The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind' (NIV). Samuel knew that there was nothing that could change Saul's outcome. Samuel had to accept that "it was what it was".

 

Regardless of what plans Jonah or Samuel had for themselves or the individuals that God used them to reach, their steps were ordained and ordered by God. Regardless of what they wanted, they had to move out of God's way and follow what God wanted whether they wanted to do it or not. Jonah initially ran, but God was still in control and forced him on the path that He called him to take. Whereas Samuel, although hesitant, did not run. He grabbed his oil and journeyed to anoint a king whose weight he probably could not have fathomed even if God had given him all the details. While Jonah struggled with following God's instructions and trusting God's decisions, we see that Samuel always obeyed whatever God instructed him to do and even if he was disheartened by it, he continued to obey God and trust the omnipotence and omniscience of God. Samuel understood the importance of allowing God to be God and God honored Samuel. We must understand that being fearfully and wonderfully made means accepting that God has a plan and purpose for us that at many times we are not going to want to accept or embrace.

 

We won't always understand God's decisions nor will we agree with them. But regardless of how we feel about what God tells us to do, where He tells us to go, who He tells us to save, or the outcome of the assignment that He gives us, He knows what's best, so we must trust His ways and KEEP IT MOVING!

 

The Fear of Fearfully                               

 

Being fearfully and wonderfully made and realizing that we are as such comes with a requirement that creates anxiety for many of us and that requirement is that word that we sometimes hate to hear, and that word is "TRUST"!

 

Because God fearfully and wonderfully created us in all His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, that gives Him both dominion and sovereignty over every aspect of our lives. That means that there is nothing about us that is not known to Him which means He is fully aware of every single thing that we will ever encounter. That means that God does not panic about anything that 'suddenly' happens to us because while it may be 'sudden' to us, it was already known to Him. This is why we are supposed to not fear and trust Him, but we know the challenges of such.

 

Why is it that in many cases, we find ourselves having more fear about trusting God than we do about the actual situation that we are facing? Part of the reason that we feel this way is because when we are faced with any type of occurrence whether good, bad, or somewhere in between, if we can do it our way outside of God's instructions it makes us feel more in control. Even when we know we don't have the power to change our situations, that control factor manipulates us in a way that makes us feel like even if we can't change what we are facing, we can at least do something to push things closer to how we want them to be. As long as we have the leeway to do it our way, we think that we can perhaps maneuver in, through, and around our circumstances in a way that appeases both our flesh and our emotions. However, we must understand that trusting God means completely letting go and allowing Him to do whatever He wants to do, however He wants to do it, at the rate that He wants to do it, which means that we have no control or say-so over how this thing that we are facing will play itself out.

 

Although we know that God knows all things, we recognize that we don't, which sometimes awakens our fear because while we may trust that God can work things out for us, we don't know how He will go about working it out. And even if we believe that God works all things out for our good our truth is that even when it's for our good it does not always make us feel our best. Even when it's for our best interest and even if it's for our own good, sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it causes heartbreak. Sometimes it causes tears that we are so very tired of crying. And because we want to avoid these burdensome feelings, we struggle with trusting God because we know that although His way is best, His way might present us with some pain or discomfort along the way. Our problem is that although we know that we can't avoid pain and heartbreak, we still find ourselves trying to avoid it as much as we can even if it means ignoring what God is leading us to do and where He is leading us to go. We all love the idea of being fearfully and wonderfully made, but quite too often, we fear the requirements of living in the essence of what that means.

 

Our Creator Gives Us Strength                         

 

In Philippians 4:12-13, Paul states:

 

         I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and           every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me           strength (NIV).

 

The Apostle Paul understood what it meant to be fearfully and wonderfully made. In Galatians 1, Paul acknowledged that God set him apart while in his mother's womb and called him by grace to preach the Gospel of Christ. Paul shared how he did not hesitate to do as God instructed him to do although he did not have the same plan for himself. Paul shared how he was deeply rooted in Judaism and persecuted the church. Paul sought to destroy the church and anyone who spoke of Christ. Paul did not start off as a believer. However, once the Lord revealed himself to him, he accepted God's plan and never looked back. It is also in understanding that God called him and always had a plan for him that allowed Paul to have contentment in whatever situation God saw fit to place him in. Paul understood that God was in control and that God would always give him the strength he needed to endure the things he had to face.

 

Paul did not always know the Lord. However, once coming into the knowledge of him, from that day forward, Paul never stopped trusting God. Yet some of us grew up with the knowledge of both God and His Son, but we still struggle with trusting Him in a way that gives us assurance amidst our circumstances.

 

This is not a judgment call, but it was stated to make us realize that regardless of how we grew up as it concerns our religious views and beliefs and no matter at what point in our lives we discovered God, or accepted Christ into our lives, our relationships with Him are going to be different. We are not all going to grasp the idea of what it means to trust God or act it out in the same way or at the same rates.

 

Some of us might have our Saul (Apostle Paul) moment in which the Lord reveals himself to us and we hold on to God with all we've got and don't waver in our trust regardless of what we face while others might start off shaky but hold on tight enough until their trust becomes unmovable like Abraham's. And there will be many of us that much like the Israelites, will fluctuate back and forth and back and forth and back and forth, and get on God's nerves. However, our joy comes in knowing that as long as God sees us trying and our whole hearts are invested in trying to get there, He won't abandon us. He'll be patient and help us to get to where He has called us to go. However, we must put effort into trusting Him.

 

WE ARE FULLY MADE!                        

 

Whether we focus on being fearFULLY made or being wonderFULLY made, we must believe and understand that we are FULLY MADE. God did not forget anything or leave anything out. God did not mistakenly put anything into us that should not have been, nor did He take anything out of us that should have been. GOD MADE NO MISTAKES when he formed us. We must REMEMBER THAT! Whatever we need, we have it in God. Whatever we want, we have it in God. Whatever we seek, we have it in God. However, until we learn to fully trust Him, we will always feel like something is missing and spend much of our time searching for something that we already have.