Fingerprints of God

If there’s one person whose singing my wife enjoys more than my own, it’s Steven Curtis Chapman. (All right, to be honest, there are lots of people whose singing is more pleasing to her ear than my own.) I’ve enjoyed his ministry over the years as well. Not only does he have a knack for writing thoughtful, catchy songs, but there’s a certain authenticity and transparency that comes through in his concerts and interviews that’s heartwarming and encouraging.

One song I’ve found to be particularly inspiring comes out of an experience his family had when his oldest daughter Emily was about thirteen years old. When he explains the song’s backstory, he tells about a time he came home and found his wife Mary Beth and Emily crying together. The two had gone out clothes-shopping for Emily, but the experience was very frustrating and even painful to the young teenager, because nothing fit right or looked right. Mary Beth and Steven entered into her pain and joined her in her tears. Out of this came his song “Fingerprints of God” on his 1999 album, Speechless. To his daughter, he sings:

I can see the tears filling your eyes
And I know where they’re coming from
They’re coming from a heart that’s broken in two
By what you don’t see
The person in the mirror
Doesn’t look like a magazine
Oh but when I look at you
It’s clear to me
That I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it’s true
You’re a masterpiece that all creation
Quietly applauds
And you’re covered with
The fingerprints of God

Steven then proceeds to root verse two of his song in the theology of Psalm 139:

Never has there been and never again
Will there be another you
Fashioned by God’s hand and perfectly planned
To be just who you are
And what He’s been creating
Since the first beat of your heart
Is a living, breathing
Priceless work of art

In the song’s bridge, the lyrics recall Philippians 1.6:

Just look at you
You’re a wonder in the making
Oh, and God’s not through
In fact, He’s just getting started!

While my daughters are too young to really “get” the whole song right now, I look forward to introducing it to them in a few years. And in the meantime, I can teach them how beautiful they are to their Abba in Heaven, and to their earthly one, too. I hope you and your loved ones find encouragement in “Fingerprints of God” as well. Listen here.