Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

There is a story about a man who was cynical regarding God being an intelligent designer. So, he argued with God, “Lord, how is it that you made such a big strong tree to hold very small, almost weightless nuts? Yet on the other hand, you made small tender plants to hold such large and heavy watermelons?” As he laughed at the absurdity of believing there could be a God who would create such a flawed design, a nut suddenly fell on his head. After reflection, he said under his breath, “Thank God that wasn’t a watermelon!”  Yes, thank God indeed. He’s smarter than men think. 

David said in Psalm 139:14 “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Regarding man, David said, “You have made him a little lower than the angels.” (Psalm 8:5) Evolutionists think we are just a little higher than the apes! I much prefer the Psalmists description, don’t you?

So just how fearfully and wonderfully made are we? Had the Psalmist the scientific and biological knowledge we have today he would have been speechless in wonderment and awe. At the cellular molecular level, you are an extraordinarily complex being. Only in the last century have we begun to unravel the mysteries of a human body, never mind a human being. According to author Bill Bryson, inside your cells is a nucleus. And inside each nucleus are chromosomes. In 99.999 of your cells the compliment of chromosomes is exactly the same, 46 to be exact. 23 from your father and 23 from your mother. These chromosomes constitute the complete set of instructions that make and maintain you, and are made of long strands of DNA, which has been called, ‘The most extraordinary molecule on earth.’ 

Within every single cell is a strand of DNA two metres long. Each strand of DNA carries within it some 3.2 billion letters of coding. The combinations this can provide is immense, unique against all conceivable odds. (That number is a 1 followed by 3 billion zeros’!) It is estimated that as much as 20 million kilometres of DNA is bundled up inside you. Each and every strand of DNA carries within it your complete blueprint. The colour of your eyes, your hair. The size of your feet, the shape of your nose, the pigment of your skin etc. Now all of those trillions of cells need oxygen. This is where your heart comes in. Your heart must pump 343 litres of blood every hour, or 8000 litres a day or 3 million litres a year (enough to fill 4 Olympic size swimming pools) just to oxygenate the cells, and that is just when you’re resting. It increases six-fold when exercising.  

How anyone can subscribe to the belief that all this magnificent design is just a cosmic fluke, happenstance, random, accidental, is beyond me. You are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. 

- Pastor David Goudy