The Wonder of the Womb

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 were none of them.
(Ps 139:13-16, ESV)

I read this for family worship last night. It saddened me, as I reflected upon the fact that there are those who do not recognize the truths expressed here. Some prefer to believe that we are merely biological machines, without any souls or substance beyond this existence. Some fool themselves even into thinking that it is they that are responsible for bringing life into the world.

David's psalm is a reminder of the truth--that God is sovereign over this, the beginning part of life, as over all others. And he reminds us that God is creative, that he takes pleasure in each of us, that he lines out all the days of our lives before a single one has transpired. I can only echo the thoughts of David: "such knowledge is too wonderful for me...I cannot attain it."