Psalms 139:13-14

Psalms 139:13-14 speaks of where each person came from: "For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalms 139:13-14 sits inside a meditation on being known: before these verses the psalmist has already said that God knows when he sits and rises and knows his words before they are spoken. In Psalms 139:13-14 the reflection turns backwards, to the point where nobody has memory.

The image is that of a craftsman — "you knit me together in my mother's womb" — suggesting intention and care, not chance.

The psalmist's response is not a thesis, it is praise: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made". The line applies as much to someone who thinks they are beautiful as to someone who does not; it is not about appearance, it is about origin.

That is why this is one of the texts most chosen for birth cards, baby showers and conversations about self-worth. And it is worth reading the end of the psalm: "Search me, God, and know my heart" — being known, here, is a relief, not a fear.