Fearfully and Wonderfully Made... for a PURPOSE
Our second episode of Wonder & Shine is on PURPOSE. This is the first of three parts of a message that I gave at a Women's Conference last year on the topic of Purpose. Remember you are fearfully and wonderfully made... and greatly loved! Thank you so much for reading!
Look for part 2 of this message tomorrow, January 15. See you then!
Psalm 139
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. 3 You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. 4 You know what I am going to say before I even say it. 5 You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! 7 I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. 9 If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. 11 If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. 12 For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. 15 You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! 16 You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!
17-18 How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me.[a] And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!
19 Surely you will slay the wicked, Lord! Away, bloodthirsty men! Begone! 20 They blaspheme your name and stand in arrogance against you—how silly can they be? 21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I be grieved with them? 22 Yes, I hate them, for your enemies are my enemies too.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. 24 Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
I. Made On Purpose
6 This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! 7 I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. 9 If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. 11 If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. 12 For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. 15 You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! 16 You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!
17-18 How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me.[a] And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!
19 Surely you will slay the wicked, Lord! Away, bloodthirsty men! Begone! 20 They blaspheme your name and stand in arrogance against you—how silly can they be? 21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I be grieved with them? 22 Yes, I hate them, for your enemies are my enemies too.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. 24 Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
I. Made On Purpose
How amazing is this? Our God has known us so long, and knows us so well! It's comforting, isn’t it? (And maybe even a little frightening) Let’s take a look at some of the verses David was inspired to write.
I love how David says in verse 7, “I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God!” The NIV says “Where can I flee from your presence?” I have a sweet friend that I mentor who is going through a season where she is feeling lost and even lonely. I'm sure everyone has had a similar experience at some point in their life. But what a comfort it is to know that no matter how lost we feel, how lost we get in this scary world, our creator knows exactly where we are and he's right there with us!
Look at verse 13: God knit us together in our mother’s womb.
I love to crochet. Anyone else? Anyone knit? It's very involved, isn't it? You have to plan what you are going to make and what stitches you want to use, what size hooks or needles you'll need. You plan your colors and your patterns. It takes a while to painstakingly work through each row until you have exactly what you wanted to make. When God created us, he had a plan. He knew what talents and gifts and virtues he would include in you. He knew if you would need a pinch more patience or maybe a tad more bravery. He knew what obstacles you'd face, what trials, what joys, and what sadnesses. He instilled in us all the talents, gifts, and virtues that we would need for the life we were prepared for.
Verses 17 and 18 says “How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!” A creator who loves us so much he thinks of us constantly?! We can't even count how many times a day his thoughts turn to us?! Wow!! Can you grasp that?! I mean I can count pretty high!!! This is the omnipotent, omniscient, Omnipresent God!!! And he takes time to think about little old me?!
When we talked about this Psalm in our youth group, we talked about how it can be kinda scary that God always knows what we're doing… but think about this: when I think about who knows me so well that they knowing exactly what I'm thinking or know what I'm going to say before I say it… that's my best friend!! Do you agree?! My best friend is the only one I can think of who can do those things! Imagine God, our creator, our father in heaven, the almighty… can you think of him as your best friend?!
My favorite verse from psalm 139 is a memory verse of mine. I have memorized the NIV. Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Let's camp here a minute, shall we?
When God made us, he made us in his image. It says in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” I've read that it is the soul of human beings that especially bears God’s image: mind, will, emotion. God’s image on us consists of knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness. I cannot compare myself to other people: to supermodels or super-thin celebrities. God set me apart to be different. God made not only my outer appearance, but he molded who I am inside to mirror his own image. I have a lot to live up to there!
The Hebrew word for “wonderfully made” and “made wonderful” is pala’. It means to separate, to set apart, to distinguish. Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” When he made us-- each of us-- he made us to be set apart, designated for something different, something special. GOD MADE US ON PURPOSE!!! There are no mistakes here. Even the most unplanned pregnancy bore a child that was created by God ON PURPOSE. God created us ON PURPOSE and FOR A PURPOSE.
Look for part 2 of this message tomorrow, January 15. See you then!
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