FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE (Ps. 139:4):

The Organ Called “The Heart”

Victor M.  Eskew

 

          David was a shepherd.  Each evening, he would place his sheep in a sheepfold, take up a station on a hill or cliff above them, and watch over them.  It was at this time that David could truly meditate upon things that cause him to stand in awe of God.  They caused him to worship and praise his wonderful and powerful Creator. 

          The heavens were one thing that caused him to wonder.  In Psalm 19, he opens with these words:  “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.”  In Psalm 8, he writes:  “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?  and the son of man that thou visitest him?” (vs. 3-4). 

          Another thing David contemplated that made him reverence God was his physical body.  In Psalm 139:4, David marvels over how he was made.  “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:  marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”  David did not have in his possession all of the information that man has today about the wonders of the human anatomy.  However, he still stood in awe and understood the human body is a very complex machine.  David could see, hear, taste, smell, and touch.  He could think and reason.  He could feel an array of emotions.  His body enabled him to do wonderful things.  His simple understanding still led him to declare:  “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” 

          We have come a long way in our research of the human body.  We can say with even more confidence than that of the sweet singer of Israel that each one of us is an elaborate, complicated, and fascinating creature. Our bodies are controlled by something we call “the brain.”  Our brains are more powerful than any computer that has ever been built.  We are composed of cells, muscles, bones, blood, and tissue.  Eleven major organ systems operate in unison enabling every human being to live in this world.  Each person has 78 organs in his body.  Twenty to twenty-five of them are considered “major” organs.  One of those organs is the heart.  It is located just left of the center of the chest.  An adult’s heart weighs between eight and twelve ounces and is protected by the rib cage.  The heart is one of those major organs.  It is a vital organ.  Let’s look at ten unique aspects of the human heart as provided by ChatGPT.

 

  The heart beats about 100,000 times each day.

• This amounts to approximately 35 million beats each year and more than 2.5 billion beats during an average lifetime.

  It pumps an enormous amount of blood.

• The heart pumps roughly 2,000 gallons (7,500 liters) of blood every day through the body's blood vessels.

  It generates its own electrical impulses.

• Specialized cells in the sinoatrial (SA) node act as the heart's natural pacemaker, allowing it to beat independently of direct brain commands.

  The heart is actually four separate chambers working together.

• It consists of the right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, and left ventricle, each with a specific role in circulating blood.

  The left ventricle is the strongest chamber.

• It has the thickest muscle wall because it must pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the entire body.

 The heart has its own blood supply.

• Although it pumps blood, the heart muscle receives oxygen and nutrients through the coronary arteries, not from the blood flowing through its chambers.

  Heart valves work like one-way doors.

• The tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic valves prevent blood from flowing backward, ensuring efficient circulation.

  The heart begins beating very early in life.

• A developing human heart starts beating about 3–4 weeks after conception, long before many other organs are fully formed.

  The heart can adapt to increased demands.

• Regular aerobic exercise strengthens the heart muscle, allowing it to pump more blood with each beat. As a result, physically fit individuals often have a lower resting heart rate.

  The heart is remarkably resilient.

• It works continuously without rest throughout a person's life. Even while you sleep, it continues pumping blood to deliver oxygen and nutrients to every part of the body.

Did David know these facts about his heart?  No.  It would be interesting to reveal these facts to David today.  He would truly stand amazed before his Creator.  Dear readers, we should as well.  Yes, our knowledge of our heart, our lungs, our brain, our stomach, our kidneys, our liver, and all of the other organs should make us bow before God and praise Him for who He truly is.  This is what David did.  “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Note:  The greatest mistake any person can made is to downplay how intricate the human body really is.  There is no way it developed by chance.  Only an extremely wise and powerful being could bring the human body into existence.