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 was none of them. Psalm 139:16 (ESV)
This verse is a reminder that God was in control of our lives from before we were conceived and will be until the day we die. When David wrote that his days were formed (fashioned) for him he literally meant that his days were “squeezed into shape” or “molded into form like a potter molds clay.”
The prophet Isaiah wrote, But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8 ESV) God has framed or determined our days and did so before we were ever conceived.
Knowing that God is sovereign over us and that our times are in his hand (Psalm 31:15; John 10:29) gives us hope and confidence. We can have peace in knowing that regardless of the circumstances, our lives are in the hands of a loving, caring Father and not subjected to blind physical fate or luck. We can know that all of our life experiences have reason and that God is fulfilling his purpose in our lives.
David wrote, The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psalm 138:8 ESV) And I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. (Psalm 57:2 ESV) The idea is that God is bringing to completion everything that concerns us; he is making perfect his purpose for our lives. In times of abundance and in times of lack, when life is calm and when life is stormy our great hope is that God has a plan and that he knows the best and is working the best for us. That’s why Paul could write, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 ESV)
Not only is God making the circumstances of our lives to perfectly fulfill his purpose; he is also making us morally perfect; without blemish. Again David wrote, For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? — the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. (Psalm 18:31-32 ESV) It is God who makes our way blameless (Jude 1:24). In fact, he chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless and predestined us to adoption according to the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:4-6).
We ought always to seek God in every facet of our lives and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. But let us also remember, Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21 ESV)
Have you yielded your life to the sovereign hands of God? Have you trusted him to fulfill his purpose for your life? Do you praise God for his sovereignty?
Scriptures for meditation:
Psalm 33:10-15
Proverbs 16:4
Romans 8:29
Ephesians 1:11