“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
5 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever;
6 To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever;
7 To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever—
8 The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever;
9 The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:1-9 NKJV
God, Our God,
I love this Psalm because it recites history and needs to be read all the way through. It has no authorship or date associated with it. Many scholars, far more knowledgeable than me, believe these Psalms at the end of the book, the praise Psalms, were probably written last and more around this time.
It is perfect template for responsive worship when there we no hymn books.. You can almost hear the priests reciting alternate lines and the children of Israel responding with “For His mercy endures forever”. By rote. Often our traditional hymns and modern worship chorus’s are repetitive so we easily learn and remember them. The chorus often included the most important lines the authors want us to remember. Like . . . Oh come to the Father through Jesus the Son . . . All I have needed Thy hand hath provided . . . Because I know He holds the future . . . We remember the chorus we remember the truth.
So You Lord inspired the author to write this Psalm so we wound remember that Your mercy endures forever. Some translations give ‘His love endure forever’ (NIV). Your mercy comes out of Your love and Your love encompasses forgiveness and mercy. Sometimes I say these words without pausing to remember. Reading the whole Psalm reminds us of how merciful and loving You were to Your rebellious people, Israel. And we remember how Your mercy and love unending, was delivered to us in Jesus. O give thanks
In Jesus name we pray, Amen
Worship Friday 25th September 2026
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
Repeat chorus
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
Chorus
Forever God is faithful
Forever God is strong
Forever God is with us
Forever and ever, forever
From the rising to the setting sun
His love endures forever
By the grace of God we will carry on
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 and ever, forever
His love endures forever [8X]
Sing praise, sing praise
Sing praise, sing praise
Chorus Repeat
Lyrics: Michael W Smith