“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1 NIV)
The other night I was reading through Psalm 118 and came across a line that is in several places in the Bible: “His love endures forever.” I’ve read and sung that line in different contexts many times. This time I realized I needed to spend some time with it. Four seemingly ordinary words, but they are repeated over and over and over; perhaps God wants us to pay them some attention, huh? So I looked up Psalm 136 in different translations, each having a bit of a different perspective on the first verse.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness (graciousness, mercy, compassion) endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1 AMP)
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1 ESV)
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1 NLT)
“Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits. Thank the God of all gods, His love never quits. Thank the Lord of all lords. His love never quits.” (Psalm 136:1 MSG)
“Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, because his mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1 GW)
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His faithfulness is everlasting.” (Psalm 136:1 NASB)
Each verse begins with an imperative to thankfulness, “Give thanks to the Lord!” and then it moves on to a why: “For he is good.” Different translations focus on the different aspects of God’s love by calling it by different names: lovingkindness, graciousness, mercy, compassion, steadfast love, faithful love, mercy, faithfulness. As we read through these words we can contemplate the wonder and variety of so many ways that God loves us. More than that, though, we can realize again that “God is love,” as the Apostle John wrote:
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:7-8, 16 NIV)
God is love. God is grace, mercy, faithfulness, lovingkindness, and compassion. And all these things endure forever. They are everlasting. They endure through time, places, circumstances, and so much more. They are never-ending. They never quit. To infinity and beyond. Thanks be to God.
We give thanks to you, God, for we know your love endures forever. We praise and exalt you for your grace, mercy, lovingkindness, compassion, and faithfulness. Thank you that no matter what we do or who we are, you love us. Thank you that your Love never ends and when we are born of you we can know you as Love. Help us to love you, ourselves, and one another and to live fully in the beauty and majesty of your Love. We praise and thank you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and ask these things in the strong name of Christ, Amen.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1, 28, 29 NIV
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.
17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.
“Forever” by Chris Tomlin
Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King
His love endures forever
For He is good, He is above all things
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise
With a mighty hand and outstretched arm
His love endures forever
For the life that’s been reborn
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise
Sing praise, sing praise
Forever, God is faithful
Forever, God is strong
Forever, God is with us
Forever
From the rising to the setting sun
His love endures forever
And by the grace of God, we will carry on
His love endures forever
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