Mind blowing

Yesterday in college class, we studied Psalm 139. I had read it before, but I can't say that I ever took it apart and really looked at it like we did yesterday. Let me tell you, it is full of good stuff. I could elaborate on a number of things, because there is so much in this passage that literally blows my mind. We read through it aloud and then at our tables, discussed the question, "What does God know?" At first, this seems like a simple question. Growing up, we were taught in church that our God is all knowing, and that's very true. But have you ever thought about what that really means? Here are some of the things the different tables came up with from reading this chapter.

God knows:
-the "why" about everything
-His enemies
-our futures
-our thoughts/words before we think or say them
-our bodies
-knew us before time

The discussion that really got me thinking was about the fact that God knows us intimately at the moment of our conception in the womb. For the first few weeks of its life, nobody knows that a baby exists. The dad doesn't know. The mom doesn't know until she starts getting morning sickness. No one knows anything about this itty bitty baby that's growing inside its momma except for God. God knows everything about that tiny child- its name, how tall it will be, what career it will have, how many times its heart will beat, how many times it will laugh or cry...God knows the most intimate details about each and every one of us in the womb. Nothing stresses that point better than Psalm 139:13-16...

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it 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 saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them."

The last part of that passage, verse 16, speaks to the fact that God knew what our futures would hold before we were even thought of. And I love when it talks about how we were "intricately woven" and "knitted together in my mother's womb". Knowing that, I don't see how anybody could think of getting an abortion. It's clear in Scripture that life begins at the moment the sperm meets the egg. God has plans for each embryo that forms. Those 2 cells fuse and become a cluster of actively dividing cells within hours. Those cells start to differentiate and grow into limbs, organs, eyes, etc. Within 9 short months, what was 2 cells has grown into a living, breathing infant; a miracle. How could anyone think of killing such a precious life? (I realize that some situations make this decision much more difficult, but all the same- it's a living creation hand-crafted by our God.)

After church was over, I kept thinking about what this passage said and how it connected to what God has been teaching me through his Creation this past week, specifically the human body. Last week in Histology lab, my lab partner and I were looking at slides of different tissues in the human body. Seeing bones, kidneys, blood cells, and other tissues under a microscope is incredible. To think that all of these tiny cells and tissues work together to make our bodies function is so cool. Our immune systems are dependent on tiny cells to protect us from infections. Our mobility is dependent on tiny muscle fibers contracting together. And there are so many processes in our body that occur day in and day out without us even being aware: the heart circulating blood throughout the body, the lungs getting us the oxygen we need, the brain and spinal cord processing loads of information about our environment and our bodies, and so much more. How could anyone look at these tissues and cells, and seeing their intricacy, not believe that something bigger than us created them? How could anyone believe that these things evolved on their own? For me at least, it's obvious that it was all created by a powerful Creator who pays great attention to detail and takes great pride in His creation, and He loves it dearly. It was so cool to hear that from someone else in the lab, because usually, you don't hear that kind of talk at all in a college level science course. It's really cool to have other believers in the Biology department with me.

I'm only going into so much detail to give you a glimpse of what has been running in my head for the last week. It just shows me that there is so much that I don't know, and there's even more that I'm not in control of. God truly is in control. He knows more than I could ever hope to know about everything. Psalm 139:6 sums it up best for me:

"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it."

A God this wonderful deserves to be worshiped, and we should be in complete awe of Him everyday. One of my goals is to keep this mindset. I have a habit of getting caught up in the little things. I focus too much on my plans and not the Lord's. The last two verses of Psalm 139 speak to this, and Matt Haste challenged us to memorize them and pray them everyday. I'm gonna end with these verses, and I hope that you will begin to pray them as well.

Psalm 139:23-24
"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"