My Substance
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. ~ Psalms 139:16
This Psalm is one of the most personal passages in all of scripture. It describes the depth and closeness the Lord God desires for each one of us. David started this message with a conversation with the Lord and offering to be open to whatever He wanted to reveal to David about his life. Then he expressed that God understands his thoughts like no other being could. He went on to talk about how God was with Him wherever he went and there was no place on earth where God was not with him.
As David considers these truths, he realized that knowing what he understood about his Lord was so awesome and amazing that he could not possibly fully comprehend it. But the tone of his writing shows how precious this revelation was to him as he wrote it all out. This translation puts it this way: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.”
The verse I chose to focus on today is especially meaningful to me. It says that even when I was unformed substance, God was already writing a story about me. He wrote all the days He designed for my life before the part of me that my dad carried and the part of me in my mom came together to begin my formation. He was thinking about me way back then and now He watches over my days leading me through the blessed story He wrote about me before I even took my first breath. He had already set in motion the life He designed for me, carefully crafting every detail.
I don’t know how it all has worked out so wonderfully even after I spent many years never even considering His plan, but I am so thankful that it has. Even though I spent many years unaware of His plan, He never stopped leading me toward it. His hand was guiding me, even when I couldn’t see it.
But here’s the best part: This promise isn’t just for me. It’s for you, too! Before anyone in this world ever thought about you, your Heavenly Father did. He formed you with intention, wrote out the days He designed for you, and created a path for you to walk in His blessings, too.
You may be wondering, How do I begin to walk in the life God designed for me? How do I know His plan? Here are a few steps to help you line your life up with His purpose:
- Seek Him First – Spend time with God daily through prayer and reading His Word. Ask Him to reveal His plans for you. “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13
- Trust His Guidance – You may not see the whole picture, but trust that God knows what He’s doing. Even when life takes unexpected turns, He is leading you. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
- Walk in Obedience – Take small steps of obedience each day. When you feel a nudge to pray for someone, to step out in faith, or to make a change, do it. God blesses obedience. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” – Luke 11:28
- Surround Yourself with Encouragement – Find a faith-filled community that will help you grow and remind you of God’s promises. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17
- Embrace Your Unique Story – God’s plan for you is not the same as His plan for someone else. Don’t compare your journey to others’. Walk confidently in the purpose He has crafted just for you. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10
Today I want to encourage you if you’ve ever felt unseen, unworthy, or without purpose, let Psalm 139 remind you of this truth: You are fully known and deeply loved by God. He saw you before the world did. He designed you with care and intention. Your life is not an accident. You were created with purpose, and God has already gone before you, writing a story filled with blessings, hope, and promise.
Get excited today as you consider that your Creator, the One who formed you in the secret place, has a beautiful plan for your life. Trust Him. Seek Him. Walk in the path He has laid out for you. And rest in the assurance that He is always with you, leading you into the fullness of the story He has written just for you.
Today’s scripture reading: Psalms 139
1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. and in Your book, they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
The Daily Dose 