Scripture
1O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[1] you are there.
9If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
13You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
17How precious are your thoughts about me,[2] O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
19O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
20They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
21O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Translation notes (2)
- 139:8 Hebrew to Sheol.
- 139:17 Or How precious to me are your thoughts.
13You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
It does not take a doctor or a nurse to know that the human body is complex. The more science and technology have advanced, the more we learn about how complex and incredible the human body is. For example, during the weekend service, we learned that the human eye has over 130 million parts, the human nose can distinguish around 10,000 distinct odors, and that the heart beats 80 times a minute. These are just a few examples of the complexity of the human body. It’s truly remarkable how complex the human body is, and this complexity points us straight to God, the creator of all.
Considering the intricacy and complexity of the human body, David wrote about it in Psalm 139. He wrote, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb” (verse 13). I love that he used the word “knit” when talking about being created by God. You see, knitting takes a lot of care and precision and displays the handiwork of the knitter. It describes just how special each person is because they are a creation of God.
Considering just how complex the human body is, David could not help but praise and thank God. After He described how carefully and complexly he was created, he praised God, saying, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (verse 14). When we consider the care, provision, and complexity of human beings, gratitude and praise is the only appropriate response.
My friend, of all of the incredible things created, human beings are His prize creation. He created us so intricately and purposefully to have a relationship with Him. Nothing else in all creation can have this kind of relationship with Him. So let’s echo the words of David, “Thank You for making [us] so wonderfully complex!”
Moving Toward Action
After you read the verses below listed in the Going Deeper section, write them out on a sheet of paper or in your notebook. As you write these words, reflect on God’s care when He created you. Thank Him for the way He loves you and every single person created. Ask Him to help you view each person as His valuable creation.
Going Deeper
Psalm 139:1-24 (NLT)
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