Bible Basics Explained | Anxiety Part 1Sample

Day 2 | Psalm 139:13-18 | Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

This devotional works best as an audio experience. Hit the play button now, and read along if you like. All verses are quoted from the NIV.

Hello once again, and welcome back to Bible Basics explained. Kris Langham here with you, and we are back in Psalm 139 in part one of our series on anxiety. I have really loved this Psalm already. In the verse six verses you are known by God fully and thoroughly. In the next six, God is with you. Nothing can separate you from His love. And today the third stanza, and one of the most beloved passages in all scripture. Let’s begin at verse 13:

“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)

How beautiful is that? God made you. And He made you to be full of fear and wonder. Wait - hold on. Did that say full of fear?

Well, yeah that’s what it says, "Fearfully and wonderfully made." But remember - the Bible word for fear can mean fright or terror, or it can mean reverence or awe. Same word, different application. You were made to be full of awe and wonder at all of God’s wonderful works, and to stand in reverence of God. But sometimes we get it twisted up and just end up full of fear - the scary kind.

The two are kinda similar when you think about it. It’s like two girls walking up to the edge of the Grand Canyon. The first one steps up alone and looks out overwhelmed with fear of what would happen if she fell. The other one steps up, amazed and awestruck at the sight in front of her, but fully confident because her Dad is holding her safe. Both responses are captured by the Bible word fear. They’re looking at the same awesome sight. The difference is - one of them knows who is with her.

And her Dad is awestruck to know that the One who made all that made him too, and holds both him and his daughter safer than any earthly dad ever could. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Remember 2nd Timothy 1:7.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

When you have anxiety, particularly anxiety disorder, it can feel like your brain isn’t working right. But remember - God made you. And though our bodies and our minds are all broken and bruised in various ways here in this life, it is not a mystery to Him. He knows and He understands. And He allows and ordains our weaknesses, and He can even work through them. And He also heals them in His time. And through all of that you are still made in His image. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. And your value to Him is not diminished in the slightest by your weaknesses. In your weakness, He is strong.

Verse 15:

“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."(Psalm 139:15)

That’s poetic language for your momma’s womb. God was there - from the beginning. He knew. He had a plan, and He still does. Verse 16:

“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 139:16)

That one’s a little mind boggling. God ordained your days. That doesn’t mean that he makes the bad things happen. But it does mean that He saw them coming and He can handle them. The difficulty of today looks a whole lot smaller through the lens of eternity. Verse 17:

“How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:17).

Okay this one can be translated two different ways, and most Bibles will tell you in the notes, that this can also be read,

“How amazing are your thoughts concerning me, oh God. How vast is the sum of them” (Psalm 139:17, alternate translation).

Do you ever wonder about that - that the Creator of the universe thinks about you? David is amazed at it - and just how much He thinks about you, how many thoughts go through His mind about you and your life. Verse 18:

“Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you." (Psalm 139:18)

When it comes to anxiety, sometimes it can feel like your thoughts are just spinning out of control. And yet with so many things to worry about in your life, your thoughts still don’t feel like enough to cover it all. But God’s got this. He’s thinking about you, and His thoughts for you are mercy and grace. And there are plenty enough to cover all your worries.

And I think that’s a great place to stop for today. Stop and just ponder that one. Wonder at it. After all, we were created for wonder. Made to be filled with it.

Read verses 13 to 18, and spend a little time thinking about how much the Lord is thinking about you.

Next: Read Psalm 139:13-18

For Thought & Discussion:

1. In verse 14, what do you think it means that you were fearfully and wonderfully made?
2. In verse 17, what does it mean to you to know that God thinks about you?