“Giving Thanks to the Lord”

 

One of my very favorite Psalms is Psalm 136. When I was growing up, we used to pray verse 1 of that Psalm every night at the end of dinner. We could not leave the table until our family had prayed: “O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.” It wasn't until years later that I read verse 1 in the context of the other verses of Psalm 136.

Every single verse of Psalm 136 repeats the refrain: “… for His mercy endures forever.” I can imagine God's people, throughout the many centuries since this Psalm was written, using this constant refrain as a way of reminding themselves that GOD'S MERCY ENDURES FOREVER! Many other Bible verses echo this refrain in a variety of words. Paul says that: “nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ.” John says that: “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Peter says that: “God has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, into an inheritance that is imperishable … .” And the list could go on and on and on. Do you hear how the constant refrain is all about the permanence of God's mercy?

Psalm 136 washes over us like a wave, each verse a reminder that no matter what else changes in this world, no matter what difficulties arise in our lives, no matter what kind of sin and guilt assails us … wave after wave after wave of God's Word whispering in your ear: “God's mercy endures forever.” Not only will God's mercy always be there when you need it, but it will be there beyond the hurt. Your burdens will last for a day, or a week, or maybe a lifetime: BUT God's mercy lasts longer. And it is God's mercy that stands waiting for you at the end of all time, when Jesus returns to sweep you up into a permanent dwelling with Him … a dwelling of MERCY!

But there is something else about Psalm 136 that is also repeated like the ocean waves stroking the sand. The opening verses, as well as the last verse begin with “Give thanks.” And because of the poetic structure of the Psalm, the same thought – “Give thanks” – is repeated at the beginning of each verse. It is not specifically written with words, but it is intended in thought. So all 26 verses of the Psalm are the same: “Give thanks to the LORD, for ___________, and His mercy endures forever.” Each verse fills in the blank with another one of God's rich blessings.

I would like to fill in the blank also. I would like to say: “Give thanks to the LORD, for the people of St. Paul Lutheran Church, and His mercy endures forever.” Your kindnesses, love, generosity, hard work, attention to detail, surprise gifts, and individual prayers during the last 20 years of my ministry in your midst; not to mention during my time of surgery and recovery - have been a blessing I will never forget. THANK YOU. THANKS TO EVERY ONE OF YOU!

And in the words of Paul to the Ephesians: “… be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs … giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So … “O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.”

 

Yours in Christ,