Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"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 books were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with You.” –Psalm 139:13-18 (ESV).

Lifting a phrase “fearfully and wonderfully made” out of these thought-provoking verses for our consideration today, I write with awe to think that God knew me—and each one of us—even before we were formed in our mother’s womb. He knew our days, knew our paths, knew our potential and our personalities. I heard a wise man say many years ago, “When God wants a job done in the world, He forms a baby to grow up and do that job.” With that in mind, we might ask if we have any choice in what we are, what we are like in personality and possibilities, and what we do in our time upon planet earth. The fact is that we are made in the image of God Himself with an innate ability to love and to follow goodness. But we have the power of choice, and in that characteristic—choice—lies the ability to make wrong choices, to fall into temptation and to come short of God’s intended glory for us.

I am strongly pro-life in today’s debate about abortion. Statistics on this blight in present-day society are staggering. In America alone, these statistics were recorded for the year 2011: “One baby is aborted every 26 seconds, 137 every hour, 3,304 every day, 23,196 every month, 1,206,192 ever year” (“United States Abortion Statistics, National Right to Life Committee, 2011). Multiply these staggering statistics by all the countries of the world and an astronomical number of deaths-by-abortion are committed each year—by far more than have ever been recorded for any war on record. We hold life in the balances and so many do not consider how “fearfully and wonderfully” we are made for God’s purposes.

The beautiful story of Pam Teebow’s decision not to abort has been told by her oral testimony and in writing. Bob and Pam Teebow, parents of the Denver Broncos Quarterback, Timothy Richard Teebow, were missionaries in the Philippines when Pam became pregnant. She contracted a terrible disease (amoebic dysentery from contaminated drinking water). The doctor advised Mrs. Teebow to abort the baby she carried, warning her that he would be born with serious birth defects, and that both her life and the baby’s were in danger. After much prayer, the Teebows made the decision to have the child. Tim was born August 14, 1987 in the Philippines, a “slim and long” baby who grew into the athlete we know today. On December 10, 2007, he received the Heisman Trophy, a very prestigious athletic award. We have seen him—and also heard the controversy that rages—about his saluting God at the end of football games and falling to his knees to pray. Many have criticized his action, saying it is for “show.” However, to hear Tim Teebow’s testimony, he makes it clear that his belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is his most transcendent and precious relationship—not winning, not the applause of men for his athletic prowess, but to love and serve the Lord. His contributions to the orphanage his parents now run, and other Christian charitable support are evidences of his belief that he is, indeed, “wonderfully and fearfully made.” God invites each of us to think of ourselves as He considers us. Let us read again the verses from Psalm 139, and thank God that He knew us, even before we were formed!