Daily Encouragement

Friday, February 4, 2022

This snowy path is along Donegal Creek about a mile from our home. When I was younger this trail would have beckoned a cross country skiing outing!

Click on photo to enlarge.

"Fearfully And Wonderfully Made"

Message summary: We profess our belief in God's creation and surely praise God that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. What about you today?

Note: We have been unable to prepare a podcast the last several days due to a problem with our microphone. Yesterday I ordered a new microphone and hopefully we will have it early next week!

"I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Psalm 139:14). "From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work" (Ephesians 4:16).

Yesterday we shared this photo of a sign displayed on a car here on Main Street in Mount Joy; a photo of a little girl with this plea, "I Need A Kidney, Can You Help Me?" I had pulled up behind the car at a stoplight and snapped the photo.

David, a friend and longtime reader from Texas, wrote, "Thank you for the photo. Being a recipient of a life saving kidney, and as a parent, I doubly relate to this plea, and I will be praying. I may not know the results of the prayers on this side of heaven, but I do believe that God will answer as He knows best."

Our kidneys are a part of what makes us fearfully and wonderfully made. At the time the Bible was written little was known (by man) about our inward parts such as our kidneys. But with the advancement of medical knowledge the truth of David's psalm is all the more evident.

Our kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs we probably spend little to no time thinking about unless we have a problem. I remember my Dad had kidney stones and the agonizing pain he endured. Our kidneys are essential to our life and well-being. For those with kidneys that don't work properly dialysis is available but not nearly as effective, convenient, available or affordable as our inboard, God-designed kidneys!

Psalm 139:14 baby feet https://www.alittleperspective.com/

The Creator made each of our constituent parts with a function and we live as each part does its work. If a body part does not work well whether inward or outward we know about it. However when they are working well we give them little thought.

"I praise You." Inspired by the Holy Spirit David makes a remarkable observation in our daily verse. We have so very much to praise God for, infinitely more then we might possibly realize. David says "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made". There is so much to unpack in that statement that it will take each of us a lifetime to fully grasp the awe of God's creative power within our own physical bodies. And on a natural level, understanding the complexity of life due to the advance of scientific studies, we should realize this even more than David.

Doctors and scientists who study this remarkable machine increasingly find ever more remarkable evidence of just how fearfully and wonderfully we are made. Yet many don't have the faith of the shepherd (David), who continues the verse with "Your works are wonderful, I know that full well". We profess our belief in God's creation and surely praise God that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. What about you today?

So fearfully and wonderfully made,

How could they say there is no God?
Reminded every breath that I take,
It's by Your hand I have been formed
So what am I going to do with this life You gave me?
What could I do but live for Your praise?

Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, we are in awe as we consider the work of Your hands, for who on earth has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the breadth of his hand? When we meditate on Your unsurpassed power we are humbled and eternally grateful that in Your marvelous creation plan You made man in Your own image, male and female You created them to the minutest detail that we might be able to live and survive the ills that come our way over a lifetime. We are a grateful people and we express it well when we love You with all our heart, soul and mind and thereby dedicate our lives to You and to Your service. Amen.

Note 1: We are thankful for modern medicine and many of us have been the recipients of caring and competent medical professionals. It is very unlikely that Ester would even be alive without this (apart from God's supernatural intervention). Legitimate medicine seeks to restore our bodies to God's original design.

But where is the line with medical technology on several fronts? Consider the fallacy of elective abortions being referred to as "medical procedures". Or the ridiculous notion of being "transgender" and surgically and/or hormonally changing one's birth gender which is absolutely outrageous. Or any of the other constantly expanding gender wannabes. Now we also have species wannabes, that is those who claim to identify as another species! I just read a story about a woman who identifies as a wolf!! (See here). These utter perversions gravely violate the design which was clearly established at Creation. "So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27). Now we read of the possibility of transplanting a womb so a man can carry a baby.

This utter rejection of God's design and plunge into moral anarchy prompts a consideration of the phrase, "God gave them over to degrading and vile passions" in Romans 1:26. We wonder when the Creator God will say, "Enough is enough"?!

Note 2: We referred to our friend David in the message. We appreciate his sentiment concerning prayer, "I may not know the results of the prayers on this side of heaven, but I do believe that God will answer as He knows best."

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" Video Matt Redman

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" Video Ellie Holcomb

"Sovereign Over Us" Video Shane and Shane We dedicate this song to all who are going through a hard time.

Finally today:

Yesterday was Four Chaplains Day. On this day, we remember the sacrifice of four Army chaplains: George Fox (Methodist), Alexander Goode (Jewish), Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed) and John Washington (Roman Catholic). During World War II, these brave men gave their life jackets to their fellow servicemen when their ship was attacked. Many men, including the chaplains, went down with their ship. They were last seen huddled together, leading the men in prayer. We are grateful for the service of all military chaplains: thank you for the spiritual guidance and peace you provide our active-duty military personnel and Veterans. We are grateful that a reader, Mary Ellen, brought this to our attention yesterday afternoon.

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