What It Means To Be Fearfully Made
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 139:14 ESV
When I first started reading the Bible, I gravitated to scriptures about my identity in Christ.
Looking back, I know my recovery from debilitating anxiety had to begin with learning who God says I am. But honestly, Psalm 139:14 didn’t really help, because all I heard was that I was scary. I’ve never understood how so many people could cling to a verse that said we were fearfully made, so I focused on the other, prettier verses.
But recently God brought me back to Psalm 139:14 as I read Shannon Popkins’ book Comparison Girl. As Shannon explained our worth as God’s beloved daughter, she wrote, “Our worth is not up for evaluation.”
"Our worth is not up for evaluation." ~ Shannon Popkins Click To Tweet
The words leaped into my heart so forcefully that I had to put the book down and just sit. Those seven words marinated and simmered in my mind for days, along with God whispering, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.”
It turns out the original Hebrew word for “fearfully” isn’t the scary kind of fear at all; it’s the reverent, astonishing, remarkable kind of fear. The jaw-dropping kind of fear that makes you stand in awe and wonder. And in fact, other translations of the verse capture this. My favorite is the Holman Christian Standard Bible, which says “I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.”
We are fearfully made, but not the scary kind of fear. The jaw-dropping kind of fear that makes you stand in awe and wonder. Click To TweetWhat I love even more about this verse is that it praises God for His wonderful works. So, it’s not really even about me; it’s about praising God.
If you’re beating yourself up today, I encourage you to praise Him for the astounding, breathe-taking love and thought He put into creating you perfectly your exact time, place, and purpose.
Amen Valerie. I appreciate your words here today. So beautifully spoken, I love Psalm 139 and gravitate to it often. Blessings.
~Selah~
Thanks, Paula! I’m glad this encouraged you today.
Valerie, I appreciate you sharing your journey with the phrase, fearfully made, and for adding Shannon’s insights, “As Shannon explained our worth as God’s beloved daughter, she wrote, ‘Our worth is not up for evaluation.'”
This quote of our worth not being up for evaluation reminds me of when I had our first daughter. The enemy said to me one morning, “You don’t have any market value.” As I repeated this tearfully to the Lord, He responded, “You’re not for sale.” This settled it for me!
Oh, Lisa, I felt that way after my daughter was born because I had to have an emergency hysterectomy moments after her birth. For years I believed the lie that an infertile woman has no value. I’m so very glad you knew to take that lie to the Truth so He could set you free! Thanks for sharing your story of how taking your cares to Jesus gave you peace!
Hi Valerie.
I love that you point me back to God with this verse and appreciate the book quote you’ve shared, as well. This is such a reflective post. Thank you!
Blessings from your neighbor at Grace and Truth,
Tammy