So today, our pastor was preaching a message entitled, "Masterpiece." As he was talking, my mind went off on a God-tangent, and I began contemplating just what it means for us to be a true Masterpiece. I think the first place to look is scripture, and I believe Psalm 139:13-16 is a great place to start.
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. Psalm 139:13-16
This scripture fascinates me. This tells me that each and every human being is God's masterpiece, that the very essence of the creation of life is divine and sacred. Many people would disagree with me, saying, "It's really no big deal It's just plain science, and there are billions of us already here on this earth. What's so special about it?" And that, to me, is tragic. There is an inherent magic and mystery about the creation of a human being. And I'm not really talking about the initial act, although that God-designed union is beautiful in and of itself. What has me in awe and amazement today is the thought that the same Creator of the massive universe, consisting of millions of stars, planets, and galaxies, considers those wonders to pale in comparison to his Masterpiece, you and I. That the formation of the heavens, of our beautiful earth, complete with the Swiss Alps and the Grand Canyon, and every living thing are ranked but a distant second to his most beautiful creation, you and I. Our society and our culture has become so desensitized to what it really means for a human life to be formed, that we rarely give it a second thought. Those of us who are parents are sometimes an exception to that, as I am sure there are many of us who have wondered in overwhelmed amazement at the beauty that is our newborn child as it sleeps in our arms. However, in general, I think that in the insane pace of modern life, and even due to the sheer numbers of us that are here on this planet, somewhere, somehow, the sacredness and beauty, and divinity of the design of human life gets lost along the way. This scripture in Psalm 139 caused me to think about how each of us is so amazingly unique - the way our eyes are set, the shape of our nose, our smile, the length of our fingers, even the shape of our kneecaps are all determined by a loving creator, an artist, who begins the process of creating each of us with the finished product in mind. And to think that as He is guiding the building of each cell in our mother's womb, the creation of each gene, the formation of our unique and specific DNA, that He isn't doing it just once, twice, or even hundreds of times. No, the amazing reality is that God is performing this astounding, miraculous creation process, millions of times over, all at the same time. What an amazing artist, constantly conducting a glorious symphony of life.
He already knows exactly, precisely, how He wants each of us. It's not simple science. Our God is not a God who simply set the world in motion, created processes, and then sat back and watches it all in motion. Oh no, according to the Psalmist, and what I believe to be true, is that our heavenly Father is lovingly involved in every detail, in the miracle of all life, of all living things. Truth is, our every breath is a testimony of His artistry and His divine design. And then the most miraculous part is that, just when you think He's done, in each of us He places an eternal, immortal soul, made in His very image. Is it any wonder that He stepped back and said, "It is good."?
I pray that you would take a moment or two and ponder what I've said here. Let it soak in. Let Him bring back the wonder, the awe, the mystery of what it means to be human, created in His image, for His purpose, His masterpiece.
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