“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalms 139:14
1 What Does It Mean to be Fearfully and Wonderfully Made?
2.1 You Demonstrate Great Strength
2.2 God Has A Greater Purpose for You
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE?
Fearfully when translated from the Hebrew means with great reverence, heart-felt interest, and with respect. Wonderfully when translated from the Hebrew means unique and set apart. … It means quite the opposite – that you were created with great reverence, heart-felt interest, and respect to be unique and set apart!
You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. God has created you to be uniquely special, confident, beautiful, sensual, and ambitious. Each one of us was created differently, for God’s purpose, and for His glory. He has crowned us with His glory and honor. God has put us on the earth for a reason. He gives each of us specific talents and personalities to help the world in our own special way. We must live our lives and use what God has given us to touch the world around us. We were put here to lead someone to Jesus.
“So, God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female… Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper who is like him.” – Genesis 1:27, 2:18 HCSB
Many of us have grown up in homes in which our mothers modeled godly Christian character. God’s Word is full of examples of women who are great examples. By reading God’s Word and soaking in His Holy presence, we can learn what it means to be a godly Christian woman, like our moms.
YOU ARE LOVED BY GOD
First and most importantly, as I study the Bible, I find out that God loves women! From the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of the New, God goes out of His way to demonstrate His love to all types of women. He goes to outsiders and insiders, young and old, to intentionally display His love to all women. He was not prejudice, are putting women in the background. In cultures that did not traditionally give to women the same value as men, God goes out of His way to show His love and care for women. Consider Hagar, an outcast Egyptian slave, to whom the Lord personally appears, speaks, and encourages (Genesis 16:7). And consider Sarah, to whom the Lord comes and speaks when she is 90 years old and waning in her faith (Genesis 18).
Consider Jesus in the New Testament as He goes out of His way time and again to meet with women and address their needs personally. For example, He goes out of His way to meet a Samaritan woman by a well and has a lengthy, personal conversation with her. With great patience He shares His good news with her. His disciples could not fathom why He would do such a thing (see John 4). Consider the woman caught in adultery, whom the Lord Jesus sets free to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Consider the woman of Canaan, whom Jesus traveled far to meet (in the region of Tyre and Sidon). He strengthened her faith and healed her daughter (Matthew 15:28). A widow in the town of Nain felt the personal touch and compassion of Jesus too, as He raised her son from the dead (Luke 7:11-17)! It would take too long to describe here all the encounters, but reading the Bible all the way through, I find that God really does love women just as much as men, and He goes out of His way to make sure that we know that! This brings me great personal assurance to know that the Creator of the universe loves me, and He loves you.!
YOU ARE UNIQUELY DESIGNED
We are unique. As women, we have been uniquely designed by God to fulfill a purpose that only we can fulfill. God has placed certain attributes in women that enable us to fulfill our purpose. Firstly, God has given women beauty, and a desire to beautify. When Eve was brought to Adam, he took one look at her and he was out of his mind with excitement!
Finally, God had given to Adam someone like him, but beautifully designed to complement and complete him. “At last!” [Adam] exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” (Genesis 2:23 NLT). Women are continually recognized for their beauty (for example, Genesis 6:2, Genesis 12:11, Genesis 24:16, Proverbs 6:25, and Proverbs 31:30), and yet we are taught to seek the inner beauty of the heart. “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:3-4). So, while the world around us is teaching us to focus intently on beautifying our exterior, God in His Word teaches women that true beauty is found on the inside.
Women are also uniquely designed as “helpmates” and nurturers. These truths apply to women whether we ever marry or have children. Genesis 2:18 says, “And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’” God has made women helpers. Women have a natural gifting toward helping others. We instinctually see the needs of others and desire to help. Women are also designed by God to bear children. Within that design He has given to women a wonderful ability to nurture and care for others. Women are often the first to notice the emotional and physical needs of others, and desire to care for that need.
YOU DEMONSTRATE GREAT STRENGTH
Although the Scriptures teach women to be in a support role, as helpmates submitted to God’s authority in their lives, this does not in any way mean that we are weak or less than men in God’s eyes. Women throughout Scripture who walk with God are valiant and courageous for Him. Consider Deborah (Judges 4:4), Rahab (Joshua 6:25), Esther (book of Esther), Ruth (book of Ruth), and Mary the mother of Jesus as just a few examples of godly women who demonstrated great strength and courage. When we too chose to walk with God, He will do incredible things in and through our lives. According to His Word, He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory” (Ephesians 3:20-21). Jesus has plans for us and through us that are greater than we could even imagine.
MADE TO BE HIS BRIDE
Women uniquely understand what it means to be a bride! The Bible teaches us that ultimately we are called to be God’s bride (Isaiah 62:5). While the church as a whole is called the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:31-32, Revelations 22:17), understanding that I am ultimately called to be Christ’s bride brings good perspective and balance to me as a married woman. And although earthly marriage is designed to be a gift from God, no man on earth can fulfill every dream in a little girl’s heart. In Scripture I find that Christ is the perfect fulfillment of that dream. God’s Word has the wisdom we need in order to know how to live on this earth. He teaches women what godly character looks like, and how to be a wife (Proverbs 31, Titus 2:4-5; Ephesians 5:15-33, 1 Peter 3:1-6). Ephesians 5 describes the roles of wives and husbands, while placing everything in the greater context of marriage as a picture of Christ’s love for His bride. Our marriages are to reflect the ultimate marriage. How different is this message to the message of the world around us?
GOD HAS A GREATER PURPOSE FOR YOU
God has a greater purpose in mind for you. When we cling to Him, we find that everything “works together for the good of them that love Him and are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). May we as women seek God’s greater purpose and let His Word and His power through Christ, transform our lives. As God loves us, let us pour out His love and grace onto others. Just to be called to a higher purpose in Christ, is an honor.
Jesus promised, ““He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38 NASB). As women living in this world yet alive to God, may God’s living water sustain us, flow through us, nourish us, supply us with His grace, and pour out to refresh others.
Please study the scriptures on Fearfully and wonderfully made.
