What does Psalm 139:14 mean?

A psalm about being fully known

Psalm 139 is headed as a psalm of David. It begins with God knowing when we sit and rise and what we will say before we say it (Psalm 139:1-4). Then it says there is nowhere we could go to be beyond God's presence (Psalm 139:7-12). Being known that well could feel frightening, but the psalm treats it as comfort.

Made with care

Just before this verse, the psalmist says God knit him together in his mother's womb (Psalm 139:13). Verse 14 is his response: praise. Your existence was not an accident or an afterthought. You were made on purpose by someone who knows you completely.

What "fearfully" means

"Fearfully" here does not mean scary. It carries the sense of awe and reverence. The way we are made should make us stand back in wonder at the God who made us.

More than a self-esteem verse

This verse is often used to tell people to feel good about themselves, and it does speak to worth. But it points first to God's works, not our looks or achievements. The psalm ends by asking God to search the heart and lead in the right way (Psalm 139:23-24). Being wonderfully made and still growing go together.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well., Psalm 139:14