Intricately Woven

January 23, 2021

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 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. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” - Psalm 139:13-17

For most people, looking in the mirror is a natural thing that we do every day to brush our teeth, fix our hair, put on make-up, etc. For some, it’s something we do to examine our bodies, sometimes out of pride but usually with at least a small amount of shame, embarrassment, or frustration. From a very young age, we are indoctrinated with ideas about how we should look, and we often find ourselves picking out what our “best features” are, before inwardly sighing over - or even hating - the features we wish we could make different.

The psalmist does an interesting thing here. By remembering and reminding himself of the God who created him, he recognizes the wonderful, inherent worth of his own “frame.” Rather than becoming vain and falling into self-infatuation, the psalmist chooses to recognize that his life, both body and soul, were wonderfully formed because of the God who created him. Instead of believing the lie that he’s ugly or his body is somehow a mistake, he preaches the truth of being “intricately woven” in secret by the God of the universe.

When God created humanity, he made them in his own image to be a reflection of himself. Here, the psalmist rightly recognizes and reminds us that God formed us himself, knitting us together in our mothers’ wombs. Instead of creating a human mold and printing us off like clones, he chose to give us each a wonderfully unique design that somehow always points back to who he is. We are seen, known, and beloved by God. This is how God thinks of us; this is the foundation on which he wants us to build our self-worth and identity.

Reflection:
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see yourself for what you are: intricately woven, wonderfully made in the image of God, and uniquely designed by the Creator of the universe? God has given you a body to take care of and use for his glory, and he knows the days that were formed for you. He has a purpose for your life. Take a moment to thank him for the body he gave you and ask him to remind you that his opinion should be the foundation for what you believe about yourself.