His Marvelous Works
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” - Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)
I have read Psalm 139 hundreds of times. I am sure you are familiar with the famous, encouraging words found in verse 14 (and on stickers, t-shirts, hats, and mugs): “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
But, as I came across this verse again recently, a different portion of it struck me in a new light. David’s words in Psalm 139 are not ultimately an invitation to marvel at ourselves, but to marvel at the God whose works are marvelous. David knows, as a fact - truth, that God’s works are marvelous - and He applies that to himself, because WE are also God’s works!!
As David reflects on his own life, he cannot separate himself from the wonder of his Creator. “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14). David’s confidence in who he is flows directly from his confidence in who God is.
The Hebrew word “Yareh” translated here as fearfully carries the idea of awe and reverence - it can also be translated to “reverently.” David is describing a work of God that inspires holy wonder. We were not created carelessly or accidentally, but with sacred intention. God formed each of us with wisdom, purpose, and extraordinary care. Every human life bears the fingerprints of its Creator.
This is exactly what Paul points to in Romans 1:19–20 when he writes that what can be known about God “is evident” because God has made it evident through His creation. We look at the complexity of the universe, the beauty of creation, and the intricate design woven throughout the natural world, and we recognize the hand of a Creator. Yet we often forget that we are part of that creation. Our own bodies, minds, and souls testify to His wisdom just as surely as the stars, the oceans, or the mountains. We do not have to travel to the ends of the earth to witness something marvelous. The evidence of God’s workmanship is evident in our very lives!
David’s declaration reminds us that all of God’s works are marvelous—including the people He has formed. Our value is not found in ourselves but in the One whose hands created us. When we marvel at His workmanship, our hearts are naturally led to worship the Craftsman.
God knew David long before he ever took his first breath. The same is true for each of us. Before we could know God—or even know our own mothers—God knew us. He formed us, cared for us, and knit us together under His sovereign care. In our most hidden state, we were never hidden from Him. We were under the care, control, and guardianship of the Creator Himself.
Psalm 139 reminds us that God is not merely an observer of our lives. He is the One who formed our inmost parts. He is as much at home in the deepest, most hidden places of our hearts as He is upon His heavenly throne. Our passions, personalities, minds, and bodies are not accidents of nature; they are the intentional work of His hands.
Because God is our Creator, every human life bears His image and His purpose. Before a child is ever physically born, that child is already fully known by God—the person He has created, loved, and purposefully formed. We are not anonymous lives waiting to become someone. We are His workmanship from the very beginning.
This is why David’s response is worship: “I praise you.” The glory never rests on the creation but always returns to the Creator. As Psalm 100 reminds us, “It is He who made us, and not we ourselves.” We are His work. His craftsmanship. His handiwork.
When we stand in awe of towering mountains, endless oceans, or galaxies beyond our comprehension, we rightly marvel at God’s creation. Yet David reminds us that we do not have to search the ends of the earth to witness His marvelous works. They are evident in our own bodies, minds, and souls. We ourselves are living testimony to the wisdom, creativity, and care of the One who formed us.
If God has so marvelously formed us before we ever drew our first breath, how much more can we marvel at His work throughout the rest of our lives as He faithfully directs our steps? The God who knit us together has never stopped working. His care did not end at our birth, nor did His purpose.
Then, in Christ, we are invited to marvel all over again. As we are born again and welcomed into relationship with Him, we become witnesses not only to the wonder of His creation but also to the wonder of His redemption. The same hands that formed us are the hands that redeem us, sanctify us, and faithfully complete the work they began in us.
From beginning to end, our lives declare His marvelous works. We were created through Him and for Him, and He is faithfully working all things according to His good purposes—for His glory and, by His grace, for our good (Romans 8:28). Every chapter of our lives bears the fingerprints of a loving Creator.
David’s words invite us to do more than admire ourselves. They invite us to worship. “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Our confidence is never rooted in our own abilities or accomplishments but in the God whose works are marvelous—and whose workmanship we are.
Today, abide in that truth. You are not an accident to be explained or a mistake to be overcome. You are known by God, formed with intention, and deeply loved. Live from the confidence that His works are marvelous—and by His grace, you are one of them.
bytaylormcgee
