It seems that respect for others has become a disposable commodity in our present American culture of selfish individualism and gratification. When it comes to affirming and protecting the dignity of others, it seems our society has lost its heart and soul. I am appalled that so many of my neighbors, friends, and even family, are finding it easy and acceptable to cruelly “trash-talk” those they do not like or who disagree with them.
The biblical story records a similar social breakdown among God’s people. They were drawn away from God and into a culture that had lost all reverence for human life, and soon were corrupting themselves with the most flagrant disregard for human dignity.
It was at such a time and to such a people that God called and sent Jeremiah. To encourage a reluctant Jeremiah toward being a prophet, God spoke these amazing commissioning words, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
Listen carefully to what God said to Jeremiah. I think I clearly hear God saying to Jeremiah and to all of us, that our conception and birth are not our real beginning of existence. Before the day and moment of our conception, God knew us. And God dignified us by calling each of us into existence. Wow! What a wondrous thought to ponder.
It is so awesome to think that before my mother lovingly cradled me in her arms, God wrapped his greater arms around me and held me close, instilling in me a purpose uniquely designed for me. To ponder this wondrous thought infuses me with glorious love and eternal dignity.
The psalmist, David, knew this to be true and praises God, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14).
Psalm 139 is a prayer in which David expresses joyous amazement that the Lord so thoroughly and intimately knows him. God’s presence with him in every moment and circumstance gives him a grand sense of self-worth, inner security and comfort. In this prayer, David declares the following dignity-filled truths about God’s relationship with all of us.
God knows me (v.1-4). Yes, God is like a doctor giving us a physical exam; a psychiatrist exploring our inner selves; an intimate friend who probes us until we reveal everything. As a result, God knows us thoroughly and completely, even our deepest and most secret thoughts and desires, both the good and bad.
God surrounds me (v.5-6). God not only knows our whereabouts and our most personal thoughts; He is also very present and surrounding us with protection, and providing for our needs. Like a human father, God goes before us preparing our way and behind us guiding and encouraging us onward in our life journey with fatherly care and concern.
To think that God would know me as He does and that He would be as involved in the specifics of my daily living as He is, overwhelms me and I say with David, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand.” (v.6).
God created me (v.13-16). David acknowledges that the God who knows him so intimately is also the God who wonderfully created and fashioned him in his mother’s womb and even now lovingly cares for him. He knows us the way a painter knows his picture, or a sculptor knows his statue. He remembers each little detail of his work in shaping us into the special person we are, a unique image of himself.
God thinks about me (v.17-18). Not only does God think about us as he is forming us in our mother’s womb, he also is thinking about us as we are being shaped and fashioned beyond the womb. Moment by moment, day after day, we are in his thoughts as he watches over us. David says that his thoughts of us outnumber the sand itself, impossible to count.
In her book of meditations on the Psalms, “I’m Lonely, Lord – HOW LONG?” Marva J. Dawn concludes her meditation on this psalm with these words. “Truly this picture of ourselves, marvelously designed, made with his tender care, should fill us with dignity and self-worth. We don’t have to win God’s approval; we had it even before we were born. We don’t have to prove our worth; he wove it together. We don’t have to impress him with our goodness; he just wants to show us his.”
I agree and give you this question to ponder – What do you think God was thinking on the day you were given life? What beautiful and attractive things, what grand and perfect things, was God thinking and planning for you while He was putting you together in your mother’s womb. And, most importantly, what is he thinking about you, even now, as he continues to shape you by the experiences of the past week and year? It is good to read Psalm 139 often.
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 27, 2021
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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