Shaped by God

In the psalm of today's liturgy is Psalm 139. One of its verses reads: "Truly you formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. A birthday prayer/reflection might go like this: “Thank you, Lord, for the gift of life. You shaped me in my mother’s womb and brought me into existence on (the date of your birthday). Now you shape me in the womb of this earthly life. Another verse of this same psalm reads: “…[C]lose behind and close in front you fence me round, shielding me with your hand” (Ps 139: 4-5). “You know if I am sitting or standing, you read my thoughts from far away; whether I walk or lie down, You are watching,” (Ps 139: 1-2), just as a parent watches every step a toddler takes. God's care for us is profound. God's loving us is incomprehensible, infinite. God watched the bones of each of us take shape. God guided them. God guided the formation of each of our physical systems: hearts, lungs, eyes, ears, brain, etc.: all of it working perfectly. God breathe into each of us His Spirit, creating us in God's likeness. Each of us is an image of God that no one else reflects. Yes, each of us God created as one of His masterpieces (Eph 2: 10).   And that creation is ongoing!

I encourage you to reflect on all of Psalm 139 today--it's about God's intimate involvement in your life and His phenomenal love of you as His special creation.