Scripture – Psalm 139:1-18 NRSVUE
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and night wraps itself around me,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.
From Lisa Leffler
Psalm 139 is attributed to David, one of the most celebrated figures in Scripture. We remember him as the shepherd who defeated Goliath, the musician who soothed King Saul, the king who united Israel, and the poet whose prayers continue to shape our faith. Yet David was also capable of great failure. He abused his power, caused deep harm, and had to be confronted by the prophet Nathan before seeking God's forgiveness. David's story reminds us that being "fearfully and wonderfully made" does not mean being perfect. God knew David completely—his courage and his failures, his strengths and his weaknesses—and loved him through it all.
That is an important truth to hold onto in a culture that often measures our worth by our productivity, our achievements, or how closely we match society's expectations. We are constantly surrounded by messages telling us who we should be, what we should look like, and how we should contribute. When we cannot meet those expectations, it is easy to wonder if something is wrong with us. Psalm 139 offers a different story. Before anyone else formed an opinion of us, God was already knitting us together with love and delighting in the unique people we were created to be.
During Disability Pride Month, this psalm invites us to celebrate the beautiful diversity of God's creation. Every person bears the image of God, bringing unique gifts while also living with challenges, limitations, and struggles. As followers of Christ, we are called to build communities where people do not have to hide who they are in order to belong. Instead, may our churches become places where every person is welcomed, valued, and reminded that they are fully known, deeply loved, and truly fearfully and wonderfully made.
Contemplation and Conversation
When have you experienced being fully known and fully loved?
Prayer
Holy One,
Thank you for the many ways your image is reflected in each of us.
Teach us to honour every person as fearfully and wonderfully made,
and help us become a community where everyone belongs. Amen.
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