There is a song that echoes throughout the Old Testament. It rings out from Genesis, repeats in the historical books of Chronicles, crescendos in the Psalms, and reprises in the prophets.
It is a simple song with a simple refrain:
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
The culmination of this resounding chorus is Psalm 136, which begins with these words:
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
For his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
For his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For his steadfast love endures forever;
To him who alone does great wonders,
For his steadfast love endures forever;”
The psalm goes on to recount God’s magnificent and sovereign hand in creation. It rehearses and reminds of God’s salvation of the Hebrew people from Egypt through the Passover and their walk of faith through the Red Sea.
It continues to recount God’s faithful steps as He led his people to the Promised Land – overthrowing kings and providing a heritage for His people, Israel.
With every verse, every remembrance, and every word of thanksgiving, the refrain is repeated: “For his steadfast love endures forever.”
The Psalm concludes:
“Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
As we approach Thanksgiving, and try to steady our gaze amidst the siren calls to move past the season of pause towards greater deals on electronics and big red bows on Lexuses, may Psalm 136 serve as a guide for us.
This Thanksgiving, as you sit at your table with friends and family, when you sit alone in the quiet with the Word of God, in the moments both together and apart, let us recount who God is. Let us remember His good and sovereign hand in a world where goodness seems only like a memory. Let us remember where He has taken us and what He has performed in the past to show us He will be faithful in the future. Let us remember Christ, think on the cross, and pray that God would tune our hearts with the righteous leadership of the Holy Spirit.
And with every brief remembrance, every recalled act of His saving grace, with every word of His goodness and truth, let us also repeat the refrain:
“For his steadfast love endures forever.”
Happy Thanksgiving.