What does it mean for God to be described as “Omnipotent.” A simple definition could be “He can do all things.” That is true provided we remember that He cannot act contrary to His nature. Paul wrote in 2 Tim 2:13  if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. He is utterly dependable for that is His nature. So a more accurate definition for His omnipotence might be,  He can do everything He purposes to do.

What then are some of the things God can do or has done as the Omnipotent One? And what are the implications of this for the human race? These verses show us that He cannot be ignored or be seen as irrelevant. But this is not to be seen as threatening in any way. Rather the verses show us that God is concerned with the life of every individual. The truths in these verses have brought meaning and deep comfort to millions through the ages. They are deeply personal. We now examine these truths.

1).  God Made Us As Part Of His Wonderful Creation.  {13} For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. God is saying through King David (the writer of the Psalm) that every person is an individual creation made by God Himself. He created us and knit us together in our mother’s womb. The Creator of all things reminds us that we as individual humans are part of His eternal plan. As I loved to say to people at teaching seminars, “You can say of yourself ‘I am a person of eternal significance. God meant me to be!’”  It was amazing to see the responses. Some smiled at being reminded of a familiar truth. Others looked shocked. Others looked a little perplexed or confused. But later on as people grasped the truth, there was often very deep inner healing that took place that blew the minds of some of the participants. They could not believe they could be changed so quickly and healed so deeply.

At our teaching seminars there were often those who had been told the following things about themselves as they grew older as children, “You were not a planned baby!” “You were a mistake!” “You were an abortion gone wrong!” and many other hurtful things that had affected some of those who heard them quite adversely all their lives. As they were acquainted with the truth of verse 13, many began to realise for the first time in their lives that they were meant to be on planet earth. They were a “planned” person. There was a purpose for them being on earth after all. They didn’t have to hide in the shadows as a “nobody”. They were a “somebody” that God had planned to be part of His creation.

I would sometimes say to participants, “When did you become significant to God? Was it when you were born, or baptised, or confirmed, or when you gave your life to Jesus, or when you asked Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit, or when you fully surrendered your life to God? There would be various answers. Then I would introduce the truths found in Ephesians 1:3-4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will… . Many were amazed to know that they were in the mind and purpose of God before the world was made. Chosen before they were born, to be beloved children of God. People of eternal significance indeed!

 2).        God Made Us As Wonderful Parts Of His Wonderful Creation. {14} I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. How do you and I go on the mirror test? Can we honestly look in a mirror and say to ourselves, “Hey, I appreciate you!” Or do we come out with less flattering words like “ugly, too fat, skinny, unattractive, mousy, ears too big, nose too large, mouth too big, rotten complexion etc.”? Or as we gaze at our reflection are we thinking of the words that others used to describe us. Words spoken to us 20, 30 or even 50 years ago that were meant to hurt us then,  and still hurt us today as we think of them. Often!

However the more we affirm the truth of verse 14, the more it becomes a part of us. We can begin by saying. “Thank You Lord for making me the way I am. Help me to appreciate me more and more.” By the grace of God none of us will ever go on to a narcissistic state where the focus moves off God and thanking Him for who we are, to becoming besotted with our reflection, focussed on our appearance  and forgetful of the God who made us.

3).        God Has His Eye On Us Throughout Our Lives. {15} My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, {16} your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  God is conscious of all the different stages of growth. He should be as the Creator of all things! He knew the moment of our conception. The circumstances for some people might have been a mutual act of love. The circumstances for many others might have been something far from desirable. But in both cases the child was desirable! God wove us together in our mother’s womb. Nothing was ever hidden from Him. But He also knows the days ordained for us.

In a world in which God has given humans free-will, bad things can happen. Innocent children are sometimes subjected to behaviour that is not glorifying to God. Nor is it helpful for the children involved. Often it is downright damaging and destructive. The privilege of having children as a gift from God also involves the responsibility of caring for them and bringing them up in His love. All too often the responsibility is not taken up by adults in caring roles, and the innocent suffer. It was never in the purpose of God for bad things to happen to innocent children. However He knows everything that was ever said to us and done to us that was contrary to His will. He even knows about the unspoken attitudes adopted to us which may have hurt as much as spoken words.  He knows exactly the damage that was caused to us. He also knows how to bring the healing that He knows we need. By His healing grace and by His grace alone, victims can become victors in life. That is not an abstract theory. It is a reality seen in the lives of hundreds of people who grasped these truths in Psalm 139. His care is never-ending.

 4).        God Should Be Praised For His Plans And Purposes For Us In His Creation.  God is our Creator.  He made us for Himself.  He made us for a purpose. In the light of this great love, what is meant to be our response to Him? For King David, the experience of God’s love made him committed to serve God throughout His life.  That would happen in two ways.

Firstly, he would be forever singing the praises of God. {17-18} How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! {18} Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. Earlier in the Psalm David had written of the Omniscience of God, the fact that He knows all things. In these later verses he has expressed a more personal view of God’s knowledge especially His knowledge of David’s life in the womb.  God not only knows about his birth but he knows the full extent of David’s life. No wonder David finds it difficult to comprehend such detailed intimate knowledge. If he were to try to measure God’s thoughts he could not because they would outnumber of grains of sand in the world. If he went to sleep thinking about the immensity of God’s thoughts he would wake up still pondering the imponderable in the presence of God.  Job also expressed the impossibility of understanding God, Job 11:7  “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?  God in His grace and love has revealed these aspects of His character. We are privileged to know them and to experience them.

 Secondly, he would never side with God’s enemies. {19-22}. If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! {20} They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. {21} Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? {22} I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

We need to note the context of these verses. David is not speaking about the bad time his enemies are giving him. Rather he is upset for the glory of God. How dare God’s enemies speak evil of Him! Note the “You” meaning God, in these verses. If they have made them themselves the implacable enemies of God then they will remain enemies, not friends, of David. David says that he will never side with God’s enemies. The verses are a strong declaration of David’s loyalty towards God. They are not the ravings of hating, unforgiving person.

What a powerful Psalm is Psalm 139. It is as relevant today as it was when David wrote it. The reason being of course that God is immutable, He does not change. He remains the God who knows everything. He is present for His people everywhere. He is the all-powerful God who has a plan and purpose for each and every one of us. God used Jeremiah to bring us the same message of His love and care. In Jeremiah 29:11-14,  God speaks to His people, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out–plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12  When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. 13  When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, 14  I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” … (The Message Translation.)

Planned people! Planned for a purpose by a loving Almighty God! To become His children!

Blog No.142.   Jim Holbeck.  Posted on Monday 17^th February 2014