Monday, July 20, 2020

Scripture for the Day
Psalm 139:13-18

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
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.
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.

It has become more and more challenging to write these devotionals the longer quarantine has gone on. The last four months have been difficult to say the least, and to be honest, it’s hard to find any more comforting words. So I was relieved when I saw this Psalm as one of the texts for today’s daily lectionary. This is the Psalm that’s printed on the cards we send to congregation members when they welcome a new child to their family. Cradle Care, the ministry in which a group of wonderful volunteers work with me to care for the new—and new-again—parents of our church, is undoubtedly the best aspect of my role as the Director of Children and Family Ministry. The Cradle Care team sends notes, delivers meals (pre-COVID), drops-off a baby book as a gift from the church, and sticks a sign in the front yard that declares, “She’s Here!” or “He’s Here!” Having been on the receiving end of this last year, I can confidently say it’s a delightful ministry that our church puts on. Celebrating these precious gifts from God, and our growing church family, truly brings me pure joy.

This passage sparks that joy for me not only because it reminds me of the 71 babies we’ve celebrated and welcomed to First Pres. since I started nearly 4 years ago, but also because this Psalm offers a powerful reminder of God’s love for us. Reading the words that God knows every inch of us, having knit together each facet of our being, declares how important each of us, God’s children, are to God. It’s hard to comprehend that level of unconditional love and care, unless you’ve loved a child yourself. Then perhaps, it’s very easy to grasp. Children have a way of breaking your heart wide open to make room for even more love. That’s what this Psalm proclaims about how God feels about YOU.

Like the author of this Psalm, it’s hard to believe how much interest God takes in our lives. It seems like God has much bigger things to worry about, especially these days. But the truth is, many of us are deeply struggling through this time. So today, I’m guessing you too could use a reminder that you are completely known and completely loved by your creator because you have been fearfully and wonderfully made.