Uniquely Crafted by and Cared for by Our Creator God (Psalms 139:1-14)

Ever feel like you have to keep performing so people won’t see the cracks? We walk through Psalm 139 and discover why being fully known by God isn’t a threat but a relief. David’s words show us a God who searches us with perfect knowledge, surrounds us with protective care, and is present in every place we flee or fear. That shift—from hiding to honesty—opens the door to real peace.

We start with the tension of impostor syndrome and move into the comfort of God’s omniscience: He discerns our actions and motives, not to condemn, but to free us from pretending. Then we explore omnipresence in vivid terms—heaven, Sheol, horizons east and west, even the darkest nights. When the lights go out in our world, God does not lose sight or control. He is already there, already seeing, already steadying our steps.

Finally, we sit with the wonder of omnipotence as David celebrates being “fearfully and wonderfully made.” God’s craftsmanship reaches into the womb, shaping each person as a one-of-a-kind image bearer with distinct fingerprints, voice, and story. We share a powerful testimony that reframes disability through surrender and shows how God uses willing hearts more than polished abilities. The result is a practical call to yield our strengths and our limits to the One who designed us—and to live with hope for the promised future where bodies and minds are made whole.

If this encouraged you, share it with a friend who needs reassurance, subscribe for more biblical wisdom, and leave a review so others can find the show. What line from Psalm 139 anchors you today?

The Christian's Compass is a companion study guide that corresponds to each of these lessons along The Wisdom Journey. Download a copy for free, or cover the cost of printing and shipping and we'll mail you a booklet.

Learn More: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/the-christians-compass

Chapters

• 0:00 Framing Psalm 139’s Big Ideas
• 2:34 The Impostor Story And Self-Examination
• 3:42 God’s Omniscience: Known Inside And Out
• 6:12 Hemmed In By Care, Not Fear
• 7:27 God’s Omnipresence: No Place Is Godless
• 9:12 Light And Dark: God Sees It All
• 10:42 God’s Omnipotence: Wonderfully Made
• 13:02 Ability, Disability, And Surrendered Lives
• 13:58 Resources And How To Connect

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 1:37

Welcome to the wisdom journey with Stephen Davy. Have you ever felt misunderstood or overlooked or insignificant? Psalm 139 reminds you that God sees it all, knows it all, and is intimately involved in every detail of your life. These truths are caused not only for careful self-examination, but also for great comfort and encouragement. Stephen called this lesson uniquely crafted and cared for by our Creator God.

SPEAKER_00: 2:15

I read some time ago about a man who wasn't what he pretended to be. Several years ago at the annual Marine Corps birthday ball, a veteran appeared in dress uniform, wearing a chest covered with metals, impressive looking for sure. But when another Marine there noticed that one of the man's medals had been pinned on upside down, he became a little suspicious. He snapped a little photograph and sent it off to the FBI. Well, turns out this man was an imposter. He'd actually been dishonorably discharged from the Navy many years earlier. I couldn't help but think, isn't it a terrible thing to pretend to be something you're not? Well, the truth is, at heart we are all potential impostors, and we can become actually good at acting like someone we really aren't. We can represent a spiritual life we're not really living or even interested in living, after all. With that in mind, we come to Psalm 139, and David is writing to remind us that we're not going to get away with pretending because God knows who we really are, no matter how many metals we pin to our chest. This particular attribute of God knowing who we are is called omniscience, all knowing. That's what David writes about here now in verse one. O Lord, you have searched me and known me. Now, this word searched refers to a diligent investigation. David's not suggesting that God had to dig around to figure out who David really was. No, David's saying here that God already knew. God's knowledge of him is already comprehensive, past, present, and future. Now David expands on this idea here in verse 2. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. In other words, God doesn't miss one movement. From the moment we get up in the morning to the moment we go back to bed, God knows. David then adds here in verse 2, you discern my thoughts from afar. God not only knows our movements, he knows our motives. Now verse 3, you search out my path and my lying down. That's another way of saying all day long. God knows every detail of your path, whether you walked or drove to work or rode your bike, he knows when you arrived. God knew when you took the coffee break. In fact, from the first step you took as a toddler to the last step you'll take in life, you don't take one step without God knowing about all of them. David writes here in verse five, You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Now this Hebrew term translated hem here is used to describe a city that's under siege. All of the escape routes have been cut off, the inhabitants are now hemmed in. Well, David is saying here that his powerful God has surrounded him with care and concern. And this kind of truth brings him great delight. He writes here in verse 6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is too high, I cannot attain it. Instead of creating dread that God is hemdomen, that God is watching him, well, David is actually joyfully saying here, God, you know everything there is to know about me, and this is wonderful news. Beloved, let me tell you, God knows the best about you. And listen, he knows the worst about you. In fact, one author wrote it this way there is tremendous relief in knowing that God's love for me is totally and utterly realistic. It's based on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery can disillusion him about me. There's nothing that can surprise God about you. Well now David shifts his attention from the omniscience, the all knowing of God, to the omnipresence of God, that is, that he is present everywhere at the same time. David writes here in verse seven. If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, the grave, you are there. See, David is essentially saying that if he goes all the way to the end of the universe, high and low, God is there. Verse nine, he says, If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me, to take the wings of the morning, by the way, refers to going infinitely east toward the dawning of the sun, and to dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea more than likely means to go infinitely west toward the Mediterranean Sea. So what David is saying here is whether he goes east or west, God's waiting for him when he arrives. Well now, what if the lights of the universe go out? Can God see in the dark? I'm reminded of one summer evening when I read about New York City having a power blackout due to a severe thunderstorm. All the lights suddenly went out. Tens of thousands of people within minutes poured into the streets, breaking into stores, stealing whatever they could, starting fires. When it was over, more than 2,000 stores had been plundered. The loss and damages were estimated well over a billion dollars. Does God lose control when the lights go out? Well, David answers that God can see in the dark. In fact, he's an eyewitness to every crime and every scene. He writes it here in verse twelve this way Even the darkness is not dark to you. The night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. Well now with that, David moves on to describe God's omnipotence, that is all power or infinite power. Verse 13. For you formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother's womb. You see, God's sovereign power, his powerful design reaches into every mother's womb at the moment of fertilization when life begins and a human being begins to develop. David says that God is literally weaving together by his design every fiber of your being. And he happens to craft with every human person an original. Unique fingerprints, a unique voice print, unique retinal shape. You are, beloved, one of a kind. Every advantage, every ability, every disadvantage, every disability is sovereignly woven into you by your creator. So whatever your condition might be today, surrender it to the Lord, your Maker. Ask Him for His grace, His wisdom, His strength to take one day at a time as you depend upon Him. And that kind of surrender to Him, by the way, can make the most disabled among us powerful testimonies of God's grace being sufficient. It can cause the rest of us who watch anticipate with even greater joy our own future, and for you perhaps that's a perfected body as you reach your home in heaven. Some time ago I read about a young man named Nick, and due to a rare genetic disorder, he was born without arms or legs. And as you can imagine, growing up, he struggled emotionally and physically with his condition. But after he became a follower of Jesus Christ, he wrote this. When people read about my life or witness me living it, they're prone to congratulate me for being victorious over my disabilities. But I tell them that my victory is in surrender when I acknowledge that I can't do this on my own. Once I yielded to Christ as my Lord and Savior, the Lord gave my life meaning when no one and nothing else could provide it. And if God can take someone like me, someone without arms and legs, and use me as his hands and feet, he can use anybody. It's not about ability. The only thing God wants from us is a willing, surrendered life. Wow. Well, that to me sounds a lot like David as he writes here in verse 14, but I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. That Hebrew word translated wonderfully can be translated uniquely. See, David's declaring that he, like all of us, have been uniquely crafted, designed by our creator God. Let me tell you, this is an amazing statement of faith, isn't it? To accept God's design for you? That's a that's a great statement of faith and trust in him. Uh surrender then to your creator and to his design and to his purposes, his plans for your life today as you trust him, and then point people to who he is to you. Your omnipotent, your omniscient creator. And here's the good news for all of us who place our faith in Jesus Christ. God's word says that one day, well, we're going to get new bodies. We're going to get perfectly functioning brains, every part of us working perfectly. No more disability, only glorified ability to serve God and praise Him forever. Frankly, we can't imagine, beloved, the future God has planned for us. As we wait for that day, well, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

SPEAKER_01: 13:34

Thanks for listening to The Wisdom Journey with Stephen Davey. To learn more about us and access all of our Bible teaching resources, visit wisdomonline.org. Our phone number is 866-482-4253. And you can email us at info at wisdomonline.org. Stephen developed this daily program to help you know what the Bible says, understand what it means, and apply it to your life. So please join us next time to continue the wisdom journey.