I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
Psalm 139:14 NKJV

Probably few of you remember my brief but illustrious career as a sculptor. Yup, back in thigh school I created several clay sculptures that inexplicably sold, (which might have a lot more to do with the fads of the 60’s than with artistic talent.) I am pretty sure these have all fallen apart by now, but during that time I learned a valuable lesson that has stayed with me. Working with clay is a process and says a lot more about the processor, than the processee, and this verse is not about seeing ourselves as a skillfully finished masterpiece, but about pointing to the Master who can make a silk purse out of anything! Instead of looking at today’s verse, as a way to build a healthy self-image, why not come away with a clearer view of how amazing God is? After all, if David were talking about himself, then we would need to figure out which part of his life was fearful and wonderful. So, let’s take a look at a few: David defeats Goliath – Yay! Fearful and wonderful. David is a jerk and sleeps with Bathsheba – Boo! Not wonderful at all! David writes the twenty-third Psalm, is crowned king of Israel and makes Jerusalem its capital – Yay! David is a big hypocrite, because after supposedly forgiving his enemies, he tells his son Solomon to wipe them out after his death – hmmm, not fearful or wonderful at all.

But before we think that we are somehow better than David, maybe we need to look in the mirror today. The encouraging part of this verse isn’t about how great we are, but about how fearful and wonderful is the one who is still in the process of working on us. Our hope is that when we look up on the shelf of those things that He has finished we can see how marvelous are all the works that He has completed – He touched the lepers and healed them, washed His diciples’ feet, calmed a storm, raised Lazarus from the dead and gave His life on the cross. Now those are fearful and wonderful works and to top them all off, Jesus walked out of the tomb on the third day to offer eternal life to all those who trust in Him. Right now, He is still able make our lives into something beautiful, if we will only believe in and yield to our sculptor’s hands. He is the one with the name that is wonderful, and He as the Master Artist, is willing to sign His name on us, the moment we fall at His feet and surrender our lives to Him!