WONDERFULLY MADE
“One,” we heard them say. One minute without taking a breath, we anxiously concluded.
Our last child took his own sweet time about being born. He was already two weeks overdue, and my wife had been in labor for around 24 hours. It was hard labor, and the birthing was long and painful.
“Two.”
We were used to our newborn baby being handed to his mother with all the counting of fingers and toes and oo’s and aw’s that accompany an anticipated and longed for arrival. But, no! They rushed him away across the room without explanation.
Finally, we heard him cry. It was the sweetest, most exciting sound. Our previous pregnancy had ended in miscarriage. The fear of a stillbirth was gone. The joy, wonder, and amazement of new life was fully celebrated.
Job 10:8-12 (NKJV)
Your hands have made me and fashioned me,
An intricate unity;
Yet You would destroy me.
Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay.
And will You turn me into dust again?
Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
You have granted me life and favor,
And Your care has preserved my spirit.
Job is still complaining to God about his woeful condition. He asks God why He would deface and destroy His beautiful creation. Reminds God of His favor and blessings bestowed. His providential care. Sustaining preservation. In between the unanswered mysteries of verse 8 and 12, Job recounts the marvel of conception from seed (milk, v.10) to sinew. Life and spirit.
- You are hand crafted.
Unlike the rest of creation, which was spoken into existence, God formed you from the dust of the earth and the rib of a man. Like a potter, He molded you. Shaped you. Fashioned you with intricate craftsmanship and unity of design. It was personal and intimate.
Scientists say that 99% of the human body is made up of six elements – oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. Think about it! God took the ingredients of the earth He created and joined them together to make you and me. You and I were designed, and God is the designer. We breathe because God breathed into us the breath of life.
- You were made in the image and likeness of God.
Not only did God craft you, but He also made you after His own image. We bear the likeness of God as moral creatures. Only the most hardened skeptic would assert that morality does not exist. Righteousness and indecency are evident in our world today. Holiness and impurity are manifest all around us.
The image of God in us gives us reason, relations, and spirituality. Intellect, the ability to discover and construct, comes from God. We would not know love or the joy of relationships in our lives if it were not for a loving and relational God. Reaching for a power greater than ourselves is the God given trait of spirituality. Something/Someone is above and beyond us.
- You are the pinnacle of God’s creation.
God pronounced His work “good” several times during creation, but He graded it “very good” after He created humankind. Dominion of the earth belongs to the favored and loved – you and me.
Take hope, my friend, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. God cares about what befalls you, His unique, handcrafted creation.
God brought order from chaos. Light from darkness. Refreshment from dryness. Fruit from barrenness. Life from nothingness. If God can do all of that, He can bring joy out of your misery. Stability out of your mess. Peace out of your turmoil.
Hope in the LORD,
Jay