Psalm 136 Devotional

Love Beneath Every Line

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever.”Psalm 136:1 (BSB)

Psalm 136 has one line that never changes. Every verse closes with the same refrain about God's love that lasts forever. God made the heavens with understanding and spread out the earth on the waters (136:5-6). He set the sun and moon in place (136:7-9). He brought Israel out of Egypt, divided the sea, and led his people through the wilderness (136:10-16). He gave them land (136:21-22).

The refrain sits under every event, including the hard ones, such as the striking of Egypt's firstborn and the defeat of kings (136:10, 17-20). There is no part of the story where God's steadfast love stopped working. Near the end, the scale shifts to ordinary need. He remembered his people when they were low, freed them from their enemies, and gives food to every creature (136:23-25). Paul says God proved his love when Christ died for people who were still sinners (Romans 5:8). You could add your own lines to this psalm, each resting on the same love.

To think about: If you wrote a few lines of your own story into this psalm, what events would you place above its refrain of lasting love?