Psalm 136:1-26
Forever His Loving Devotion
1Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever.
2Give thanks to the God of gods. His loving devotion endures forever.
3Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His loving devotion endures forever.
4He alone does great wonders. His loving devotion endures forever.
5By His insight He made the heavens. His loving devotion endures forever.
6He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever.
7He made the great lights—His loving devotion endures forever.
8the sun to rule the day, His loving devotion endures forever.
9the moon and stars to govern the night. His loving devotion endures forever.
10He struck down the firstborn of Egypt His loving devotion endures forever.
11and brought Israel out from among them His loving devotion endures forever.
12with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. His loving devotion endures forever.
13He divided the Red Sea in two His loving devotion endures forever.
14and led Israel through the midst, His loving devotion endures forever.
15but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His loving devotion endures forever.
16He led His people through the wilderness. His loving devotion endures forever.
17He struck down great kings His loving devotion endures forever.
18and slaughtered mighty kings—His loving devotion endures forever.
19Sihon king of the Amorites His loving devotion endures forever.
20and Og king of Bashan—His loving devotion endures forever.
21and He gave their land as an inheritance, His loving devotion endures forever.
22a heritage to His servant Israel. His loving devotion endures forever.
23He remembered us in our low estate His loving devotion endures forever.
24and freed us from our enemies. His loving devotion endures forever.
25He gives food to every creature. His loving devotion endures forever.
26Give thanks to the God of heaven! His loving devotion endures forever.
Berean Standard Bible
Every line of this communal song returns to the same answer: His loving devotion endures forever. The repetition makes the congregation carry the response together while remembering creation, the exodus, the wilderness, and the defeat of kings.
The LORD made the heavens, spread out the earth, made the great lights, and remembers His people in their low estate. He gives food to every creature. The song moves from cosmic order to daily provision without treating either as too small for gratitude.
The refrain does not erase the violence and grief in the history being remembered. It declares that God's covenant faithfulness is the lens through which the community understands its survival and hope.
Questions
1 What response repeats?
Answer“His loving devotion endures forever” repeats after every act of God's faithfulness.
2 What did God make?
AnswerHe made the heavens, earth, sun, moon, and stars.
3 Whom does God remember?
AnswerHe remembers His people in their low estate and gives food to every creature.
4 Why does the community repeat the refrain?
AnswerRepetition lets the whole congregation confess together that God's faithfulness outlasts every generation and crisis.
What This Means for Us
Shared words can hold a community together when individual strength is low. Let repeated gratitude become meaningful by attaching it to specific acts of care.
The refrain should not be used to silence grief about the past. Faithfulness can be confessed while hard history is still being faced honestly.
Prayer
Faithful God, let Your enduring loving devotion hold communities through creation, crisis, and memory. Give food to the hungry, honesty about history, and a gratitude grounded in what You have actually done. Amen.