Thoughts about the eye

Psalm 139:16 (ESV)

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

    the days that were formed for me,

    when as yet there was none of them.

I had a cataract removed from my right eye this week and it made me think about the eye.  Have you ever had the wonderful experience of being present when a baby was born? Maybe you were there for the birth of your child, a grandchild, or another family member. You watched those little eyes light up or, more likely, struggle to stay open as they adjusted to bright lights. The baby saw the real world for the first time, a dramatic change from the view inside the womb.

Researchers say that a baby’s eye sockets begin to form in the fifth week of pregnancy, but the eyelids will not open until the seventh month. Even after birth, the eyes and their relationship to the brain continue to develop. Our Creator God definitely knows us as individuals before we are born. Life is a continuous process of growth and development in God’s care, even in the womb. He knows us and loves us even before our parents realize we’re there. That’s how much God pays attention, even to you and me. As God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5).

As our eyes continue to open up to the world around us, we will not only gain knowledge of the created world but also of its Creator. We will then be able to live our days according to the way ordained for us, written in God’s book.

Dear Lord, thank You that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Open our eyes to see You and know You as our Lord and Savior. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.