Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Psalm 129:14-16 says, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me when as yet there was none of them.
Today I visited the Art Institute of Chicago with my youngest son, Caleb. You can’t help but be inspired as you walk through the galleries of world-famous paintings and other pieces of art. From a distance, the paintings in particular come alive with color and light. As you come closer to the canvas, close enough to be able to reach out and touch it, the intricacy of the colors and brushstrokes are visible, creating an even greater sense of awe and wonder.
When our boys were little we often talked to them about how God made them special, that they were his children first and foremost. We talked about how they were fearfully and wonderfully made. God’s masterpieces are his children. As science progresses, and more discoveries are made about the human body, the intricacy and splendor of our Father’s design demonstrate his power and majesty.
Artists create using things like paint, stone, and clay but only God can create something from nothing, and his creations are magnificent. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made. The person with Down syndrome is as intricately made as the person with a perfect ACT score. Someone struggling with bipolar depression is no less loved by God than the person who does not carry that particular burden. The gifted artist and the stick artist are both magnificent creations. God loves his creation.
We see Jesus interact most often with the outcasts of society: the diseased, beggars, the crippled, prostitutes, the demon possessed, the adulteress, the thief on the cross.
We see individuals from a distance, from our own perspective, and can’t imagine how some people could ever be loved by God. We give up on the hard work of prayer and spending time with those who seem too far gone, or even those who just don’t seem to want to hear about the good news of the gospel. Jesus calls us to step closer to get a greater understanding of the complexity of his creations, creations that have a soul that will live for eternity with him forever or separated from him. Get closer to those who you are on your heart. Talk with them. Spend time with them. Sacrifice for them just as Jesus sacrificed himself for us.
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. “ Ephesians 5:1-2