PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Have you ever been fingerprinted? I had to do it this summer for some volunteer work. It was an interesting trip downtown (insert sarcasm here) but I was super-impressed by the technology. Having watched more than my fair share of true crime dramas, I expected to leave with ink all over my fingertips. But it’s all computer-generated now.
It’s amazing that each person’s fingerprints are uniquely their own… That God’s ingenuity gave us one-of-a-kind DNA plus ten unique fingerprint patterns per person… WOW! And we never talk about toe prints! I’m not bendy enough to see the bottom of my toes, but those are 10 more unique patterns… as are our two handprints and two footprints. Let’s throw in teeth patterns… two unique retinal patterns… Add all that up—right off the bat, we can each claim 28 ways we are one-of-a-kind! And we have only scratched the surface of our uniqueness.
All that detail by God’s own hand! The earth’s current population totals 7.7 billion. I was going to try to do the math and my pitiful little iPhone calculator couldn’t handle the equation! Amazing! God’s ingenuity + current world population = an Apple-product fail. I may love me some Apple products, but I really love that God overwhelmed my calculator!
King David wrote, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:13-14 ESV). I imagine if David had access to all we know about the human body, including the understanding of unique fingerprints, his head might have exploded. But even without all the scientific knowledge we have today, King David knew he’d been uniquely designed and created by God.
There is nothing new or revolutionary about what I’m bringing to the table today. But as we will be gathering this week with family and friends to honor the annual day of Thanksgiving—take a look around you. Whether you’re laughing with a friend or holding the door for a stranger—take a moment to be in awe of your Creator. Take a moment to relish in the great love He has for each person He made—a love so great that He designed us to be one-of-a-kind reflections of His image (Genesis 1:27). Never replicated and never duplicated.
Today, as you pray, thank God that these details aren’t overlooked by Him and that when we reflect on them, we can recognize His greatness far exceeds our finite comprehension. Thank Him for making you uniquely you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see others as reflections of God’s endless creativity and love.
