For it was you who formed my inward parts;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.

It is beyond my comprehension, God.  Without you, I would not exist.  There is no one on earth like me. To think that you fashioned me out of skin and bone and tiny cells.  Somehow I came together and you breathed life into me, I am one of a kind.  Remarkable!  Amazing!

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.

From the very beginning, your hand was on me, molding me into your image.  I have come from the very heart of you; into my earthly form you have poured your spirit.  What shall I do with these precious gifts?  My possibilities are endless! 

In your book were written

all the days that were formed for me,

when none of them as yet existed.

My life was a clean slate, ready to be written on by myself and others.  Some decisions have pleased you; others, not so much, but a life has been created nonetheless – my life.  In humility, I stand before you, stripped bare of excuses.  You wipe the slate clean again…and again.  

How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

I try to count them – they are more than the sand;

I come to the end – I am still with you.

I hear you calling me to walk in your ways, Lord, to make my life a testament to your goodness.  Fill me, God, with only your thoughts.  Erase my self-centeredness and let me see myself as you see me – unique and wonderfully made – your beloved child.  Help me live each moment joyfully, knowing your light shines through me to light the path for others.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from far away.

You search out my path and my lying down,

and are acquainted with all my ways.

All-knowing God, it is frightening to me that you know me so well.  My every thought is laid bare, even those I am ashamed of.  I can not hide my deepest wishes and desires from you, even those that are sinful.  My secrets are not secrets to you.  Everything I think and everything I do is an open book; I am naked before you.

Even before a word is on my tongue,

O Lord, you know it completely.

You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is so high that I cannot attain it.  

Even in my nakedness, I feel safe with you.  You know my truth; I cannot lie to you as I do to myself and others.  You set boundaries for me, knowledge of right and wrong, so I might walk the path you have set before me.  You do not abandon me to the wiles of the world.   I am not cast into the wind-tossed sea without a life preserver.

Where can I go from your spirit?

Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there;

if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I take the wings of the morning,

and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me fast.

Why do I run from you?  Why do I think I can escape your knowing eye?  It is your hand that saves me.  Why would I turn away from your grace and mercy?  When life drains from me every drop and I am weary with the burdens I carry, you lift me out of the mire and hold me close.  Why would I turn my back on a love so deep, so constant, so needed?  

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light around me become night,”

even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is as bright as the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

None of my attempts to hide from you will work, God.  Your light shines on me every minute of every day.  None of my blemishes, my sins, my wrongdoings can extinguish that light.  The glittering, beaconing glare of the world cannot outshine the beauty of your presence.  You have chosen to love me and I choose to love you.  It is this love that will see me through until I am with you for eternity.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come into his presence with singing.

We come to this place of worship clapping our hands, smiles on our faces, our feet dancing the rhythm of joy!  The worries and stress of our lives left behind; our hearts open to your Spirit.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he that made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

What comfort to know that we belong to you, great God of heaven and earth!  We are made from your own heart, fashioned out of your love.  We belong to you and you to us.  We will listen to your words, do your will, and follow you all the days of our lives.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him, bless his name.

Shouts of “Hallelujah!” fill our mouths and we delight in being in your presence!  We sing songs of praise and thanksgiving – do you hear us?  Do you feel our love pouring out from us to you, precious Lord?  

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

Life is constantly changing, but you, Lord, are a firm foundation, trustworthy and true.  We can depend on you.  Nothing separates us from you, nothing.  Your grace is our strength and your mercy is our salvation.  Every praise is yours and every good word belongs to you!  Hallelujah and Amen!