Nothing Lasts Forever?

Text: Psalm 136

Most Christians have at some time participated in an antiphonal reading of today's text. The refrain, variously translated as "His love/lovingkindness/faithfulness/faithful love endures forever/is everlasting," forms the second half of each of the twenty-six verses.

Several ideas are striking in thinking about this psalm of praise to God. First of all, if as easily supposed this writing was used in worship, why do we not have more like it? There are certainly other attributes of God worthy of repetition in the minds of those who worship. Secondly, all of the remembrances for which God is to be praised have to do with His mighty acts of both creation and salvation. Though the Book of Psalms includes many very personal requests, complaints, and thankful utterances, this one is primarily concerning the people of God as a whole, and secondarily the rest of humanity. Thirdly, both creation and salvation are ongoing, in the sense that there is a sustaining interest of God in the well being of His creatures.

And, of course, there is that refrain. Yesterday's comments concerned what characteristic most fully and adequately identifies God; the conclusion was that it was not His power, though this is affirmed, but His personal care for those He loves. Similarly, the refrain in Ps. 136, the piece which surely was taken home firmly implanted in the mind of the worshipper was that God's faithful love (NLT) will never cease.

There are many things we count on in the world we live in. For as much as we relish the thought of personal autonomy and independence, we nonetheless also want to be able to place confidence in certain things happening and in certain persons performing in predictable, consistent fashion. Today we are reminded that such unchanging character and performance is finally characteristic of God and God alone. He has demonstrated this faithful love repeatedly, in ways which could add thousands of verses to the psalm. The conclusion would be the same in each verse, as yet again we recite together: "His faithful love lasts forever." Nothing else does. Nothing else needs to.