What is the greatest miracle of the human body? BIRTH! From a logic standpoint, NO ONE should ever make it!

4 Do not answer a fool [a mocker] according to his folly, or you will be just like him.
5 Answer a fool [simpleton] according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

The last chapter in, “A Pocket Guide to the Human Body,” (pages 89-90), is about a self-less servant, the PLACENTA.

Of all the body’s organs, perhaps the one that best exemplifies selfless service is the placenta. Most people give little thought to the placenta, and few appreciate the marvelous complexity and profound importance of this organ that is discarded and forgotten after birth. While parents and loved ones lift joyful prayers of thanks for the safe arrival of their newborn, few think of thanking God for the essential services rendered by His marvelously designed creation–the placenta.

Here comes the bombshell:

After the egg is fertilized, the placenta is the very first organ to develop. Recent studies show that when the fertilized egg [the zygote] divides to form the first two cells, one is already destined to form the placenta, while the other becomes the baby.

Now, folks, I don’t know about you, but that’s amazing! Read on…

As soon as three days after fertilization–weeks before the mother normally suspects she is pregnant–cells of the developing placenta, called trophoblasts, begin to produce hormones. These hormones ensure that the lining of the uterus–the endometrium–will be ready to receive the embryo’s implantation. Over the next few weeks, the developing placenta begins to make hormones that control the mother’s physiology in a way that ensures the proper supply of nutrients and oxygen, which are essential to the baby’s growth [and will make the mother nauseous].

By about five days after fertilization the trophoblast cells, surrounding the developing embryo, begin to fuse together to form one giant cell with many nuclei [be sure to read the caption with the pictures].

This cell is called the syncytial trophoblast. One of the first functions of this placental giant cell is to invade the uterine wall of the mother in an amazing process called implantation.

THE BABY IS INSIDE THE BIG CELL! Only God could think this one up. If you think that’s cool, wait until tomorrow when we talk about–ah ha. You almost had me there; you’ll have to wait. In the meantime, let’s give God glory for His imagination and cleverness. You know, He is where we got ours.

Abba, You are amazing. The whole process from fertilization to birth is fascinating. Thank You for this booklet and for opening our eyes to the wonder of our human bodies. One of my favorite verses is Philippians 3:20-21, which talks about our “new kingdom” bodies,

²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

We’ve been born into Your kingdom spiritually, Lord; we are simply waiting to catch up with our spirits. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.