Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1
You don’t have to live very long in this world before it becomes painfully clear that nothing lasts forever. The car you were so proud of when you bought it is spending too much time in the shop getting fixed. Those clothes you picked up on sale are now ready to be given away. At home, the roof eventually leaks, the appliances break down, the water pump needs to be replaced. And relationships we think will endure often fall apart.
Nothing lasts forever—nothing but God’s mercy, that is. Twenty-six times we are reminded of this inspiring truth in Psalm 136. Twenty-six times the writer gives us something for which to praise the Lord, and then he reminds us, “His mercy endures forever.”
Think of what this means. When we sin and need forgiveness, His mercy endures forever. When our lives seem a jumbled mess that we can’t control, His mercy endures forever. When we can’t find anyone to turn to for help, God’s mercy endures forever. When each day is a struggle because of illness, despair, or conflict, His mercy endures forever. Whenever life seems overwhelming, we can still praise the Lord, as the psalmist did—for God’s mercy is always new and fresh.
No problem outlasts God’s forever mercy!
All the way my Savior leads me—
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide? —Flint
God’s heart is always
overflowing with mercy.
1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. 3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy Lord of lords! For His mercy 4 To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy endures forever; 5 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, for His mercy endures forever; 6 To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, for His mercy endures forever; 7 To Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever— 8 The sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever; 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever.
Insight
In Psalm 136, God’s “forever mercy” is praised for a number of reasons, all having to do with ways God has expressed Himself to us. In verses 1-9, His mercy is seen in His power displayed in the universe He has created. In verses 10-22, God’s mercy is seen in His powerful rescue of the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Finally, in verses 23-26, His mercy is expressed as He extends compassion to us—even though we don’t deserve it. No wonder the psalmist closes by saying, “Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136:26).
