June 11, 2023
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalms 139:13-16 (NLT)
“She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.” Proverbs 31:22 (NLT)
While organizing some of my computer files this week, I came across a folder with files from a previous ministry called “Prayers and Squares.” The first hour of the ministry was devoted to prayer endeavoring to encourage women to grow spiritually through Scripture and intercessory prayer. The second hour was committed to fellowship and quilting creating various quilt designs representative of God’s diverse family of patchwork in diversity and not uniformity. After approximately 50 hours of wholesome fellowship and Scriptural patchwork/quilting the first quilt was completed which was presented to a patient in a local nursing home.
I also came across several poems by Debbie Salter Goodwin that I used in the ministry that are so apropos for this devotional which depicts the intricate and awe-inspiring work of our heavenly Father in the tapestry of our lives. Just as a master weaver skillfully combines various threads to create a beautiful and meaningful pattern, God weaves together the events, people, and circumstances in our lives with divine precision and purpose. The poem below is one of them!
I think God is a quilter,
Who takes His needle and thread
To piece our world from nothingness
And give it form, instead.
I think God is a quilter
And see everything I see
Are the pieces from His careful hand
From tree to bumblebee.
I think we see God’s Stitches,
His touch everywhere
The velvet moss, the grainy sand,
The silky strands of hair.
I think God is a quilter,
Stitching tight and tiny rows,
Adding to my scraps and pieces,
Seaming everything He knows.
I think He cuts the patterns
From what I’d would throw away
He shows me how to use each scrap,
In His redeeming way!
In Scripture, the term “tapestry” is often used metaphorically to describe the intricate and interconnected nature of God’s plans and purposes.
It represents the idea that God weaves together various events, people, and circumstances to bring about His will. One example of the metaphorical use of “tapestry” can be found in Psalms 139:13-16. King David praises God for His intimate knowledge and involvement in the creation of human life. He says “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
We can also reflect on the biblical account of other ordinary men and women in Scripture, who, like us, faced a countless number of circumstances. We can see that through their lives, we witness God’s masterful hand at work, transforming chaos into order, despair into hope, and brokenness into restoration. As we began to study these examples of their lives and apply the biblical principles to our own lives, we will discover that no thread is ever wasted in God’s tapestry. Every joy, every sorrow, every triumph, and every setback play a crucial role in creating the masterpiece that is our life.
This life presents at times an array of chaotic experiences. There are some that are joyful, challenging, and some even painful. It is during these moments of uncertainty that we often seek relief, support, and understanding, yearning for a greater meaning behind the patterns we encounter. Traveling on this spiritual expedition and seeking to explain the sacred colorful patterns and pieces of our lives, we often attempt to unravel the threads of the mystery of how God, in His infinite wisdom, stitches together the tapestry of our lives. All you must remember is that God is the Quilter of our lives!
God Is A Quilter
I think God quilts a pattern
From everything I live,
But He can only stitch the quilt
From what we choose to give.
I think God is a quilter
Stitching strength where I am weak.
Showing me that life He touches,
Embraces everything I seek.
I think God is a quilter
From the patience in each thread.
Proving length of time, no barrier,
Treating time, a gift, instead.
I think quilts are lessons
God uses just to teach
That our pieces and our remnants,
Have kaleidoscopic reach.
So, in the life, we are living
With pieces everywhere
I’ll give them to the Quilter
To stitch with loving care.
I’ll give them to the Quilter
Unwanted though they be
And with His work of quilting,
He will make a quilt for me.
God cares about the “little things” in our lives because He cares about us. Compared to Him and His glory, our whole lives are made up of those “little things.” Psalm 139:17–18 says, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them, Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I am awake, I am still with you.”
I invite you to make a decision to recognize the divine patterns woven into your everyday existence. Seek to explore how God uses our relationships, circumstances, opportunities, and even our disappointments and struggles to shape us into the image of His Son. In contemplating the beauty of God’s tapestry, we will find comfort and encouragement, knowing that we are not alone in our journey. We will be reminded that, even in the moments when life seems unraveled, God is ever-present, working diligently to bring forth a masterpiece that will bring glory to His name. Allow HIM to nurture your spirit, encourage your soul, and remind you of the profound truth that you are a cherished thread in the intricate design of God’s Tapestry!
AN KNITTED 
HEART: In Psalm 139:13-16, David uses the imagery of being “intricately woven” in the depths of the earth to describe God’s involvement in his creation. The idea of being woven together implies a deliberate and intricate design, highlighting God’s personal care and attention to detail. This metaphorical use of “tapestry” emphasizes God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and purpose in orchestrating the events of our lives and the world around us. It reminds us that even when we cannot see or understand the full picture, God is working all things together for His ultimate purposes.
Although these passages of Scripture do not explicitly probe into the deeper spiritual meanings of tapestry, they do provide glimpses of the significance of weaving and textile work in the biblical context. These references remind us of the importance of craftsmanship, beauty, and attention to detail in various aspects of life, including our worship and personal pursuits.
A Quilter’s Prayer
Take the pieces of my life
And Stitch them together
According To Your Will
May I yield to the pricks of Your needle
So That Your stitches
May surround me with the pattern of Your Love
May I allow You to order the squares
And the way You Want
To pattern me by Your design
So that all will know
You quilted me.
FATHER GOD: Thank You for Your Word that provides us with clear instructions on how to live and glorify You! Help us to open our hearts and minds to the transformative power of Your handiwork guiding us to a deeper understanding of Your infinite love, faithfulness, and grace. Help us to trust You as our divine Artist and Quilter, who is diligently weaving the threads of our lives into a beautiful tapestry that reflects Your glory when our finite minds even when cannot comprehend the full pattern of Your answer, in the Precious, Powerful, and Preeminent Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen!