Formed in Secret
There is something deeply personal about the words in Psalm 139: 14-16.
14: I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15: My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16: Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
Almost anyone who has been in church for any length of time has heard verse 14 quoted. It is quoted as an affirmation of how wonderful we are as God’s ultimate creation. But rarely are verses 15 and 16 joined with it so that we understand more fully what David was saying. David does not say this after looking at the best parts of himself. He says this in the middle of acknowledging that God sees everything.
“My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret…”
David is not just speaking about creation. He is describing a process that most of us never see or fully understand.
There is a part of life that is formed in secret, underneath what we decorate and dress up. This is the part of us that is not on display, the part that only He truly knows.
It is the hidden place where our identity begins to take shape.
The Work No One Sees
David says he was “curiously wrought.”
His words describe something intricate and intentional, carefully woven and skillfully formed. We are neither random nor accidental. There is a level of care in how life is formed that we often overlook because we are focused on what becomes visible.
But what becomes visible is always the result of what was first formed in secret.
He then describes this formation as happening in “the lowest parts of the earth.” He is using poetic license to describe being formed in the womb. A place that is hidden, unseen, and yet, it is where everything begins.
The Deeper Reality
God is not reacting to your life as it unfolds. He is not surprised by your delays.
He is not adjusting to your circumstances. He is not waiting to see how things turn out. He knows your life as a completed work while you experience it in parts.
What feels unfinished to you has never been unseen by God. The hidden work matters. The quiet formation matters. The parts no one else recognizes still carry purpose. You are not being assembled randomly over time. You are being revealed. While we try to fix the parts, we find unattractive, God is forming the whole.
It is easy to say you are wonderfully made when you focus on what you appreciate. It is much harder to say it when you realize that God sees what you would rather avoid.
And still calls His work marvelous.
Learn More
Why Trying to Fix Everything Is Keeping You Stuck
When you realize things in your life aren’t quite right, a new issue almost immediately pops up. Suddenly, it feels as though absolutely everything requires your attention. You notice your spiritual practice needs work, your time is being pulled in too many directions, your finances are chaotic, your relationships aren’t as rich as you’d like, and you haven’t been looking after your health. And it’s completely natural to think “I need to deal with all of this!” But that’s what prevents most of us from progressing. When you treat everything as a crisis, you don’t manage to do anything for very long. You try to pray more often, get your planning in order, eat better, spend your money more carefully, and be more fully in the moment… all at the same time. For a few days, perhaps a week, it feels different. Then life reasserts itself. And without much notice, you find yourself back where you started. It’s not that you don’t care, and it’s not from a lack of willpower. You simply tried to overhaul everything all at once. True change isn’t about doing a lot, it’s about concentration. Most of us need to do things differently. Not with more effort, not with more information… but with a place to begin. A single aspect, a single perspective, a single action.
Instead of attempting to repair your whole life, what if you started with only one part? Just one aspect. And not the one you want to work on, but the one that’s most out of balance, the one subtly influencing everything else. Then, instead of broadly trying to improve it, simply look at it truthfully. This is the looking glass. Not with self-blame, not with pressure, but with a clear understanding. Where am I with this now? What is actually happening in this specific area of my life? From that point, make one deliberate decision. One move. Not ten, and not a complete transformation. Just one. Because significant change rarely starts with something spectacular; it’s a clear action, repeated. When you narrow your focus to a single aspect, something fascinating occurs. You don’t only improve that one area, you start to find things moving throughout your life. A bit more breathing room, a bit more understanding, a little calmer. Because these areas are connected. For some, the first step might be financial, creating a little space where there’s been stress. For others, it might be time, getting back some space that has been taken over. And for others, it could be spiritual, returning to something left behind. It doesn’t matter which one you choose. What matters is that you choose one. You gain clarity not by doing more, but by focusing. You don’t need to rebuild your whole life this week, you just need to start.
We’ll look at why most changes don’t stick, and how growth instead of motivation is what maintains a balanced life, in the next post. If what I’ve said feels right to you, “The Five Facets of Wealth” is a straightforward method to help you gain a clear view, start purposefully, and create a life that works as a whole. Not perfectly, but consistently. The path forward isn’t everything all at once, it’s doing something, and doing it well.
Learn More