1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
“Yeah, Mom, I have to go!” he said on his way out the door and to the car. It was time to head back to college after the holidays and his mother wanted one more embrace and to speak one more hurried, “I love you,” to her son. He was young and did not have time. When we are young, we often do not understand the value of those words. “I love you.” They are not a box you check off and then are done with it. “I love you,” is a refrain which we need to sing and hear every day. One never really finishes saying that to someone you love. God never finishes saying it to us.
The Psalms, originally prayers which saints spoke to God, have become the Word of God to us. Psalm 136 has the unique device of recounting God’s deeds and after each one repeating the refrain: God’s steadfast love endures forever. We are only reading part of this psalm today. It goes on to recount the deeds of the Exodus. After each statement, the psalmist repeats the refrain: God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Today finds you in need of hearing those words again. Every day brings with it a reason why we need to be reminded of God’s love. Bad news, a new pain in your aging body, a conflict at work, school, or home, each of these or something else can give us reason to doubt, fear, or be distracted from God. Our minds are adept at filling in the blanks of our knowledge with the worst of imagined futures. To all of that, God comes back with this refrain: My love for you does not end. It does not mean the thing which causes you to fear or makes you angry has gone away. It means, however, that whatever you struggle with is not the last word. That belongs to God, and His Word is love for you. In this part of the psalm, the psalmist has us see that God made this world and the heavens above our heads. He causes the sun to rise. His love is renewed every day like that rising sun. It always happens. Count on it.