Together in Christ: 'Give Thanks for God's Faithful Love!' — Psalm 136:1-4

Monday, February 12, 2024

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.

— Psalm 136:1-4 NLT

Key Thought

Critics of modern praise songs have labeled many of them as little more than "7-11 songs": They have seven words, and then you repeat them 11 times with a simple melody and driving beat. Well, Psalm 136 would probably qualify on the repetition feature! This psalm repeats the refrain, "His faithful love endures forever," 26 times!

Why? Why repeat this refrain, and why repeat it 26 times?

I believe there are at least two primary reasons the Holy Spirit has us repeat this refrain so many times:

  1. We need to give thanks every time we worship to keep us from becoming self-centered. God has blessed us greatly, and we always need to give thanks when we praise God and pray to Him! [1]
  2. Satan throws so much at us to discourage, defeat, and distract us. The evil one wants to deceive us about God's intentions for us. [2] We need to be reminded that all of Bible history proclaims that God's "faithful love endures forever"! We can refute the evil one's deceptive and deflating attacks with this one powerful refrain: "His faithful love endures forever." Sometimes, we need to keep singing the truth over and over again until it sticks in our heads and in our hearts: "His faithful love endures forever."

God powerfully demonstrated His love for us in Jesus. [3] God demonstrated His love to us before we loved Him, and we can never do anything to merit His love. [4] God displays his "faithful love" in many ways. This thankfulness for God's faithful love is the foundation for our relationship with God and with each other! [5] So, let's join other believers and give thanks for God's great and faithful love.

As the psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite says:

I will sing of the Lord's unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.[6]
[1] Ephesians 5:18-20; Colossians 3:16-17, 4:2-4.
[2] "Satan" means adversary, and "devil" means deceiver. These are primary roles the evil one chooses to play in our lives seeking to discourage us and make us doubt God's love. See 1 Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 12:9.
[3] John 3:16; 1 John 3:16-18, 4:7-18.
[4] Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:19; Ephesians 2:8-9. "Grace" in these last verses can be defined as unmerited favor.
[5] 1 John 4:7-18.
[6] Psalm 89:1-2.

Today's Prayer

Almighty God, Your lovingkindness and grace have brought me into Your family. Thank You! Thank You for Your grace, kindness, love, and mercy. Thank You for my spiritual family with whom I can share my thanks and praise. Use my thanksgiving and praise to help others remember your "faithful love" when their lives are difficult. Please use their thanksgiving and praise to help me remember when my heart is down and my soul is weary. I truly believe, dear Father, that "faithful love endures forever," and because of that, my hope and my future are secure in You! In Jesus' name, I offer my thanksgiving and praise. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Psalm 136:1-26
  • Ezra 3:7-11; Psalm 89:1-18

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Illustration

Illustration of Psalm 136:1-4 NLT — Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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