Psalm 136:26

Psalm 136:26

His love endures forever!

What a Psalm this has turned out to be! At first sight it appeared to present a number of well-known Biblical events and then follow them up with a repetitive slogan that promotes God’s enduring love. Perhaps we’ve all skimmed over these words and failed to grasp the deep lessons that underly them.

The final verse is similar to verse 1, an injunction to give thanks to the Lord, plus a reminder of who He is. But note, whilst preceding verses have described God’s creative powers and His interaction with the earth, this last verse takes us to a different place, beyond the stratosphere, to a spiritual world that all of us have yet to enter. Why end in this way? It’s because the Lord wants to remind us that His enduring love is not just earthbound, but it exists in a world beyond this earth, and it is here that love will accompany us forever. In other words, God will continue to love us just as much when we leave this planet as He does while we are here!

Notice that this proclamation about God’s love is not personal, it is third person, it is a declaration. The psalmist does not say, “Your love endures forever” but “His love endures forever”. I recently woke in the night in a slight panic caused by a dream, and it was one of those occasions when it was hard to get back to sleep. So, I spent the next 2 hours recalling all the events of my life thus far and the people, happenings and places that have left impressions on me, be they good or bad. I named these things to the Lord and after each one I added the words, “Your love endures forever.” There were tears but also moments when I punched the air in triumph. Now I am qualified to say out loud to anyone who will listen, “His love endures forever!” Perhaps the psalmist had a similar experience? Give it a try.  

 

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