I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.

It is difficult to not stand in awe of the miracle of human life when looking at a newborn baby. You hold them close, count their tiny fingers and toes, and watch them breathe, sleep, smile and coo. You see so vividly the everyday miracle that results in such a tiny, living being who has come into the world. The intricacy of a life woven together is unfathomable.

King David couldn’t help but praise God when He thought about God creating new life. It stopped him in his tracks. He reflected on how God has specifically and intricately knit every life together in the womb. As He reflected the vastness of God and His far reaching arm, despite our attempts to run from Him (139:7-12), he zoomed in to the intricacy of human life. We are never out of God’s reach because He knows us better than we know ourselves (139:1-6)!

It’s easy to remember the value of human life when we look at an infant. Yet, somewhere along the way, as children grow into adults, we let the perceived value diminish. We easily forget that all people have been fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator of all things. Remembering this doesn’t mean we dismiss sin or disregard evil. But it does mean that God alone can see within a person. He alone knit them together. He alone sees them truly for who He made them to be. We are called to love and value all people because God has created them in His image.

● Have you praised God recently for simply giving you life? For uniquely molding and knitting you together? How do these verses lead you to worship God like David did?

● How do these words comfort you? How do they challenge you? Challenge your view of others?

● Take time to praise God simply for making you—for knitting you together with care and intentionality. Praise Him for knowing you more intimately than you know yourself. Ask Him to help you rightly view others who are made in His image.