Thursday, January 19, 2012

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made


"I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."  Psalm 139:14

In recognition of Sanctity of Life Sunday this weekend, here is a dramatic performance by Whintley Phipps reciting a poem authored by James Weldon Johnson.
 
The power and majesty of God, as well as the tender affection He holds for His creation, are beautifully portrayed for us in this excerpt (below) describing the explosive moment of the creation of man.

I can just picture God kneeling by the river bed, lovingly laboring over the crown of His creation, so loved by God that He stamps Him with His own image and breathes into him the very breath of God!

This beautiful poem speaks eloquently of the unique place God has given to mankind in the order of His creation. Because we alone, of all creation, have the incredible privilege of bearing the image of God, every person created by His hand has immeasurable value. In a day and age when unborn babies, the elderly, the handicapped and disabled are targeted for murder because they are deemed “useless” to the state, this is a truth that needs to be shouted out from the rooftops of every town and city in the world.

Every human being has a purpose in the eyes of God. Human beings are not disposable. May we be willing to stand up for that truth wherever it is denied. The choice to willingly violate this basic truth will, inevitably, sow the seeds of our own destruction. 

The Creation
by James Weldon Johnson (an excerpt)

From the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;

By the bank of the river
He kneeled him down;

And there the great God Almighty
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,

Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
Who rounded the earth in the middle of his hand;

This Great God
Like a mammy bending over her baby,

Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay

Till He shaped it in his own image;
Then into it he blew the breath of life,

And man became a living soul.

Amen.

 

Note: I heard this poem originally on “Revive Our Hearts,” a program featuring Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Nancy is doing a series of teachings on “The True Woman Manifesto”. A gifted teacher with a passion for encouraging women to grow in the faith, Nancy can be found at: www.reviveourhearts.com on Moody Radio. There are many wonderful resources available at her website.

You can make a difference! Do you know anyone who is struggling with the issue of abortion or euthanasia?  What can you do to support them to choose life?

3 comments:

  1. I had never read that poem nor heard it before. How powerful!

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  2. I know, I had never heard it before either. I never even heard of the poet, who is an African American. This is one of his most famous works. I love it!

    Poetry is growing increasingly important to me in my reading and writing. Something about the images it evokes that I can't get to any other way...

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  3. I think his voice alone and the words , of course , give this poem so much power!!!!

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