Vol. 17 No. 33 | August 17, 2015
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.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts
(Or How amazing are your thoughts concerning me), God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you. (Psalm 139:13-18, NIV)
This phrase stands out, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
God knew me before I was born. He knew you before you were born. He was aware of and involved in the process of our formation. He knew the exact date of our birth before we did, before our parents did, before our doctors did. For Him there was no wondering and there were no anxious days of waiting.
He watched our little bodies were taking shape. He needed no ultrasound or special equipment see us as our fingers and toes were forming. He was there when our hearts beat for the very first time, and before the first beat. He was there as our lungs were being inhaling and exhaling for the first time. He was there and He knew exactly how long we would reside in the warmth and safety of our mother’s womb.
He was there when our eyes reacted to the first ray of sunlight. He was there when our mother and father held us in their arms for the first time. He knew the exact moment when our mother and father saw us for the first time, and He knew how they would respond at that moment. He knew the number of tears that would leave their eyes at that miraculous moment. He was there when our grandparents nearly burst with joy as they watched their children experience the joy of being a parent.
He knew the exact moment when we would take our first step. He knew the exact moment when we would skin our knee for the first time. He knew the exact moment when feel the ocean breeze on our face and sand between our toes for the first time. He knew when we would jump off the side of the pools for the first time. He knew when we would take the first swing at a baseball for the first time. He knew the first time when we would feel our heart flutter at the sight of cute little girl when she walked into our classroom. He knew the exact moment when you would propose and that she would say yes.
He knew the exact moment when you would walk across the stage to receive your diploma and degree. He knew the exact moment when you would go to your job on the first day. He knew ahead of times you would change jobs and why. He knew the exact moment when you would move into your first house, and your second, and your third and all the other times.
He knew the exact moment when you would say, “Yes, I believe He is the Son of the living God and I want Him to be the Lord of my life.” He knew the exact moment when you would face your first big challenge to that commitment, and that you would stay the course.
He knew the exact moment when I would decide to camp on the 139th Psalm for a few weeks, and He knew which sentences would catch my eye and prompt my thoughts. He knew the exact moment when I will finish this article and push the send button. He knew the exact moment when you will open your meal and choose to read or not read.
“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” I am thankful that He knew, and that He knows. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.”
Tom
Oh, by the way He knew that our third granddaughter— Hadassah Tate Norvell — would be born at 8:05 PM on August 16, 2015 and that she would weight 7 pound and 13 ounces. Mom, Dad, and big sister are all doing very well. His works are truly wonderful.
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.