Humanity’s uneasy dating with the physique is a story as outdated as time. For 1000’s of years, God’s other folks have sought King David’s knowledge from Psalm 139 to tell their view of the physique. As of late, the traditional hymn nonetheless speaks. No matter your specific fight along with your physique, Psalm 139 addresses it via revealing the honour, finitude, and function of God’s design.
Superb Thru and Thru
Why does the post-labor mom wonder at her new child? Why respect each and every toe, survey every nail, word birthmarks and the form of the ears, and pleasure at each and every quiver of the chin? As a result of she used to be now not aware of the name of the game processes that introduced this kid, with all of his distinctive characteristics, into her hands.
So, David in Psalm 139 marvels on the miracle of God’s handiwork in crafting his physique and soul. The ruddy, good-looking king with stunning eyes (1 samuel 16:12) isn’t inspired merely with human attractiveness and energy, as smartly he could be. As a substitute, as he contemplates God’s paintings from embryonic degree to the knitting and weaving in combination of his body, character, and inward portions, his center overflows in worship to God: “I reward you, for I’m fearfully and fantastically made. Glorious are your works; my soul is aware of it rather well” (Psalm 139:13–16). David rightly senses that he — physique and soul — is a piece of the Grasp Craftsman.
And so too are you. Your physique, up to your soul, is considered one of God’s wonderful works. It bears the unmistakable signature of the divine artist in order that, like advent, your physique “claim[s] the honour of God” (Psalm 19:1). When used to be the closing time meditating in your physique elicited worship?
Unfortunately, many women and men who meditate on their our bodies evaluate themselves to cultural beliefs after which activate their our bodies with disgust, denigrating them via body-shaming themselves and others. Psalm 139 is right here for one of these time as this. Now not handiest does it reframe our ideas about our our bodies, instructing us to look them for the wonderful works of God that they’re, but it surely trains our hearts to worship God for his artistry.
Finite from Starting to Finish
Although the human physique has a undeniable more or less glory, it’s undeniably a fading glory. And so, after worshiping God for his wonderful starting place, David transitions to sing of his personal finitude. He describes God’s secret act of advent as happening within the hidden “depths of the earth” (Psalm 139:15), reminding us that our our bodies — wonderful as they’re — started and now finish with the mud of the earth. They’re handiest finite our bodies in the end: “On your e-book have been written, each and every considered one of them, the times that have been shaped for me, when as but there used to be none of them” (verse 16). As God numbered David’s days, so he has numbered yours, organising their finite quantity from conception to the grave.
For now, your wonderful physique is earthly and corruptible. On a daily basis speeds up dying. Growing older is inevitable; formative years unpreservable. Power diminishes and attractiveness fades. If “via reason why of energy,” some outlive the common lifespan, it’s only as a result of God himself deliberate it so (Psalm 90:10).
God’s sovereignty over lifespans is an unwelcome reality for individuals who have by no means given up the search to search out the fountain of youngster or for individuals who “rage towards the loss of life of the sunshine.” But it liberates those that, like David, know God and are recognized via him.
Set loose from futile makes an attempt to elongate their years, God’s other folks rage as a substitute towards the idolatry of body-obsession. They moderately review all expenditures supposed to adapt their our bodies to present attractiveness requirements, prolong the withering results of age, or break out the ravages of illness. Whilst they nurture and fortify their our bodies within the face of inevitable decline, they achieve this now not in fruitless makes an attempt to extend their days, however within the hopes of honoring God with on a daily basis he provides them.
Purposed via Him and for Him
Some distance from flinching at his finitude, David perceives an everlasting function for his finite physique. Verse 18 hints at resurrection: “I wide awake, and I’m nonetheless with you.” For individuals who know God and are recognized via him, the sleep of dying will give approach to everlasting lifestyles after they shed their transient, corruptible our bodies and wake within the presence in their Maker.
Till that day, God furnishes every finite physique with enough energy to undergo its numbered days. Your physique will persevere till you go during the veil into God’s presence, the place he’ll turn out to be your physique, way more wonderful than earlier than. That physique shall be incorruptible. “Age is not going to wither” it. And unfading in energy and attractiveness, it is going to undergo all the way through eternity.
However past the duty of wearing him thru his numbered days on earth, David implies a better function for his physique and soul: to be searched and recognized via the God who expertly knitted him in combination (Psalm 139:1, 23–24). David delights in God’s intimate wisdom of him. He opens himself as much as God’s looking out with the hopes of belonging — physique and soul — to him.
So that you additionally belong to God. Your physique is his as a result of he moderately crafted it at conception. And should you enjoyment of being recognized via God, your physique is doubly his as a result of he redeemed it at nice private price, at the price of some other physique, a physique God secretly wove in combination for his valuable Son, a physique whose days have been shaped earlier than delivery, and a physique that used to be damaged and poured out in dying to buy you and make you his personal.
To one of these wonderful reality, we will be able to rarely utter, “My physique, my selection.” Neither are we able to indulge lust and fancy or reside for worldly excitement or reward. From begin to end, we’re God’s: gloriously created, gloriously sustained, gloriously redeemed, gloriously purposed on this lifestyles, and gloriously recreated one day.
Your Frame, His Provider
Those historical truths must silence each disparaging remarks and useless boasting in regards to the physique. Has God bolstered your physique to do many excellent works? Reward him for it! Don’t recoil on the toll it calls for. Have fun that he has sustained you to this point.
Has he sidelined you with affliction? Even so, your physique is conducting God’s wonderful, if mysterious, functions for it.
Has God proficient you with an extraordinary measure of attractiveness or energy? Be offering those in carrier to him, attracting others to his extraordinary divine attractiveness.
Are you stooped from a few years of load-bearing? Are your knuckles gnarled with arthritis? Your time is also drawing to its shut, however God will grant your physique enough energy to stroll in excellent works till the top. This is the reason he made you!
Till that day while you wake within the presence of your Maker, serve God with the energy he provides. Like Jesus, be offering your physique in carrier to these entrusted for your care. Make investments your energy in wearing at the paintings of the One that sacrificed his physique for you. Fellowship with Jesus in his lifestyles, in his paintings, in his dying; proportion in his pleasure of realizing and obeying God. And prefer Jesus, lay down your physique in keen expectation of taking it up once more, this time glorified and imperishable.
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