jess in the mundane

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

A redefining moment of my existence came with the jarring realization that the Bible was not about me. Quite commonsensical to infer that scripture written thousands of years ago was in fact not about this 21st century modern girl; who would have thought?! Coming out of a self centered kind of Christianity (which i would argue is no Christianity at all), meant a complete overhaul and continued renewal of my mind. Numerous verses memorized previously began to reveal a new meaning. One of which is this one.

Psalm 139:14

To reiterate, the Bible is about God, not us, hence the main character is Himself. There are many stories, plot points and settings, but the overarching story hones in on God and His work of redemption, played out through many generations. A previous reading of this Psalm for me would have included six words “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. Gee, isn’t that fantastic- I am awesome, and God has made me awesome. God really took his time with me cause when I look in the mirror, phew, perfection! Call the fire department guys, we have a bombshell on our hands! LOL! I could think up so many “affirmations” to hype myself up from that one verse. Unfortunately, those six words are just 1/3 of the verse, and not even 1% of the chapter.

Let’s examine it closely:

I praise You.

The Psalmist in the prior verses explains how intimately he is known by God. His presence, inescapable. His knowledge, inexhaustible. His providence, overwhelming. He then begins, in what we know as the 14th verse, with honor and reverence. “I praise You”. Why praise Him? Because He has made him wonderfully, and this is a truth his inner being recognizes easily.

Contrary to popular belief, knowledge of self begins with knowledge of God who made the self. The Psalmist is in awe of God’s immense care for his creation, having the actual audacity to painstakingly design, protect, provide for and know them deeply. This realization causes him to do one thing, praise. Thank you Great God, because You made me, and care for me. Look at how majestic You are Lord, and look at how wonderful the work of your hands are. I praise You because You have made me wonderfully. In contemplating numerous truths about God, an appreciation and affection for God is stirred. It is less about me being awesome and more about the awesome God who made me 🤍.