THE FORK IN THE ROAD

DOES GOD HAVE YOUR NUMBER?

DNA, Psalm 139, the Inspired Word of God, and the God Who Knew You Before You Were Born

By Chef Charles Knight
The Fork in the Road Series

There comes a point in almost everyone's life when we arrive at a fork in the road.

One road says human life can be explained through natural processes—biology, chemistry, heredity, mutation, natural selection, and time.

The other road asks a question science itself cannot settle:

Why are we here at all?

What if you are here for a reason?

What if the extraordinary biological information contained within your body is only part of the story?

What if you were individually and wonderfully made?

And what if the God who created life knew you before your mother ever held you in her arms?

That brings us to an extraordinary question:

DOES GOD HAVE YOUR NUMBER?

Not your telephone number.

Not your Social Security number.

Not your driver's-license number.

Something much more personal.

Does God know the biological identity that makes you—you?

Modern science has discovered an extraordinary information system within the human body.

We call it DNA.

DNA AND YOUR BIOLOGICAL IDENTITY

DNA contains genetic instructions involved in the development, function, growth, and reproduction of living organisms.

Nearly every nucleated cell in your body contains essentially the same genome.

Except for identical twins and certain unusual biological circumstances, a person's nuclear DNA profile is extraordinarily individual.

That is why DNA evidence can help establish biological relationships, identify human remains, and distinguish individuals in forensic investigations.

Think about what that means.

Human beings discovered DNA.

We did not create it.

The information was already there.

Before microscopes powerful enough to reveal the structures of cells.

Before modern genetics.

Before DNA sequencing.

Before computers.

Before human beings possessed the technology to read our genetic information...

the information was already there.

PSALM 139: FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE

About 3,000 years ago, David did not possess a microscope.

He had never seen a chromosome.

He knew nothing about genes as modern science understands them.

He certainly had never heard the letters D-N-A used to describe the genetic information carried within the human body.

Yet David wrote:

“For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.”
— Psalm 139:13–14 NKJV

David continued by describing God's knowledge of him while he was still being formed.

The important distinction is this:

Psalm 139 does not use the word DNA, and it should not be presented as a scientific description of DNA.

But modern genetics gives us a remarkable new perspective from which to consider David's ancient declaration that human life is “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

WAS DAVID WRITING ONLY HIS OWN THOUGHTS?

Here the question becomes even more interesting.

Christians don't regard the Bible as merely a collection of ancient human observations.

The Bible describes Scripture as inspired by God:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,”
— 2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

Peter explained:

“for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
— 2 Peter 1:21 NKJV

That raises a fascinating possibility for the believer.

Could God have inspired David to express a truth about human life whose biological complexity would become dramatically clearer thousands of years later?

David didn't need to understand DNA to write truthfully about God's intimate knowledge of human formation.

If God is the Creator, He already knew what humanity would later discover.

EVEN THE HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE NUMBERED

Now consider something Jesus said:

“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
— Matthew 10:30 NKJV

Hair has an interesting connection to modern forensic science. A hair with suitable root tissue can sometimes provide nuclear DNA, while hair shafts can contain mitochondrial DNA.

Was Jesus teaching a genetics lesson?

No.

The verse says nothing about DNA.

Jesus was making an even larger point about God's extraordinarily detailed knowledge and care.

God doesn't merely know that humanity exists.

He knows individuals.

Jesus said even the hairs of your head are numbered.

CAN GOD INSPIRE YOUR THOUGHTS?

Now the question becomes personal.

If Christians believe God moved David to write truths that David himself could not have understood with modern scientific knowledge, can God guide your thoughts and mine today?

The biblical answer is yes—God can guide us.

Jesus promised:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things...”
— John 14:26 NKJV

James tells us:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
— James 1:5 NKJV

Proverbs tells us:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.”
— Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

But Scripture also gives us an important safeguard.

Not every thought that enters our minds comes from God.

We are told:

“Test all things; hold fast what is good.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:21 NKJV

God can guide.

God can convict.

God can give wisdom.

God can direct our paths.

But our thoughts should always be tested against His Word.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

Perhaps this entire discussion ultimately comes down to something remarkably simple.

You are not an accident.

According to Scripture, you were created by God and fearfully and wonderfully made.

He knew you while you were being formed in your mother's womb.

He knew you before the world knew your name.

He knew you then.

He knows you now.

And perhaps we spend so much time listening to television, social media, politics, advertising, entertainment, other people's opinions, and the endless noise of the world that we have forgotten how to become quiet enough to listen.

David wrote:

“Be still, and know that I am God...”
— Psalm 46:10 NKJV

Maybe that is where your next fork in the road begins.

Not with another argument.

Not with another television program.

Not with another social-media post.

Not with another person telling you what you should believe.

Maybe it begins with silence.

Open your Bible.

Pray.

Ask God for wisdom.

Then become quiet enough to listen.

HE KNEW YOU THEN. HE KNOWS YOU NOW.

Maybe science has helped us understand something about ourselves that David could never have examined under a microscope.

Inside you is biological information of extraordinary complexity.

But Scripture asks us to look deeper than biology.

You are more than a DNA profile.

You are more than a number in a government computer.

You are more than your occupation.

More than your possessions.

More than your mistakes.

More than what other people think about you.

According to Scripture:

God created you.

God knows you.

God sees you.

And God loves you.

Jesus said:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
— John 3:16 NKJV

So...

DOES GOD HAVE YOUR NUMBER?

Maybe the better question is:

DOES GOD HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?

The world is loud.

God has given us His Word.

Maybe it's time to block out the noise, open the Bible, pray—and listen.