By Joshua Franks
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bruceton
Focal Passage: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
One of my favorite memories growing up was getting to watch Saturday morning cartoons. Very few things brought joy into my little heart like waking up and running to the living room to see what kind of hijinks Bugs Bunny and his friends were up to. Every now and then they would have a storyline that featured “The Drunk Stork.” His job was to deliver babies but he was usually drunk and delivered them to the wrong family.
As a kid I thought that was hilarious, not only the idea of a drunk stork, but also the idea that storks delivered babies. Throughout the ages people have come up with some pretty novel answers when their kids ask where babies come from. That one tops the list.
As we get older that kind of thinking seems ridiculous. However, the vast majority of people still don’t have any idea where babies come from. You may have never thought of it in these terms but the fact of the matter is that the mother and father have very little to do with the making of a baby.
Scripture is plain on that fact. The psalmist writes, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” The parents may be responsible for contributing genes, chromosomes, and DNA, but make no mistake about it, God is the one who is responsible for creating life. He is the one who creates a baby.
That fact alone makes every embryo, fetus, infant, and human being infinitely valuable. But when you consider the fullness of Psalm 139 it becomes even more astonishing. There are three things that stand out in this text.
Joshua Franks
First, God knows every life intimately (Psalm 139:1). The psalmist uses the word “searched” in verse 1. It carries with it the idea of exploring a land with detail or examining an object thoroughly. Other people may see the outside, but God knows the heart. He knows who you are on the inside. There is no pressure or pretense or pretending. God knows every life intimately, just as it is.
He also knows every life exhaustively (vv. 2-6). God knows everything there is to know about us. He knows our actions (v. 2), our thoughts (v. 2), our direction (v. 3), our words, ways, and motives (v. 4). But not only that, not only does He know all there is to know, He also knows what’s best for us and He works tirelessly to move us toward His perfect will (v. 5).
He knows every life intimately and exhaustively. He also created every life purposely (Psalm 139:13-18). This is one of the greatest passages about the preciousness of life. When life was created, God was there. He formed it (v. 13). Nothing was hidden from Him (v. 15). And He has a plan for it (v. 16). God determined how long every life will live and what they should accomplish inside of His perfect will.
So, the next time a kid asks you where babies come from, don’t lie to them. Tell them the truth. God creates them. He loves them very much. He has a plan and a purpose for them just like He does for you. And He doesn’t make mistakes. You exist because God created you. That makes you infinitely valuable. All life is. B&R
