Powerfully Claimed

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all of the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

In Jeremiah 1:5 God makes an astounding statement. He says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…” Let the truth of those words sink into your head and your heart for just a moment. The word for “knew” in this verse doesn’t just mean to recognize or be familiar with. It is the world that is used to refer to the way a husband comes to know his wife on their honeymoon. It can be translated, “love,” but it refers to the most powerful and intimate love. We know the Bible teaches that God loves us, but go back again to the first part of the verse. God says to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew/loved you.”

Do you see the truth in these words? This is not just before birth; this is before conception! (For more on this, read yesterday’s devotion) Birth is not our beginning. Conception is not even our real beginning. God says He knows us, and He loved, us before our parents even met. Before your biological parents conceived you, God conceived of you. You were not their idea; you were God’s idea!

Do you understand what that means? Love precedes life. God loved you before He gave you life. That is why the matter of unborn children is more than just being pro-life; it is being pro-love. God loved us before we were conceived. God loved us, which is why we were conceived. Every life is precious to God – born, unborn, conceived, or not yet conceived.

But it goes deeper. Not only did God conceive of us before we were conceived, but He claims us after we are conceived. God tells Jeremiah in the second part of verse 5, “…before you were born I set you apart…” What did God mean by this? He means that there was a plan and purpose for Jeremiah’s life…and for every life He creates. Each of us are conceived and born for a reason. Life is not a random existence, coming from nothing and heading to nothing. Life is not about luck or lottery; it is about the Lord.

King David said the same thing in Psalm 139:16, “…all of the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” From our first breath to our last, every breath is to be breathed fulfilling the plan and purpose of God for our life. God has a script for each one of us in this play of life and a role divinely created for all of us. Whatever our part, God wants our lives to belong to Him.

Dear Lord, thank you that before I was ever even created, you thought of me. You loved me. You had a plan and a purpose for me. When I am tempted to question my value, my worth, and my significance, I pray that you would remind me of these truths so that I can remember how valuable and loved I am in your eyes. In Jesus' name, amen.