Devotional

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” —Psalm 136:1 

 The brand-new car you bought will one day need costly repairs. The new wardrobe you bought will become hand-me-downs. Even our bodies are aging from the moment we’re born…and before we know it we’re “over the hill.”  

 The Second Law of Thermodynamics speaks of entropy. Bio-chemist Isaac Asimov put it into layman’s terms like this:  

 “Another way of stating the Second Law then is: ‘The universe is constantly getting more disorderly!’ Viewed that way, we can see the Second Law all about us. We have to work hard to straighten a room, but left to itself it becomes a mess again very quickly and very easily. Even if we never enter it, it becomes dusty and musty. How difficult to maintain houses, and machinery, and our own bodies in perfect working order; how easy to let them deteriorate. In fact, all we have to do is nothing, and everything deteriorates, collapses, breaks down, wears out, all by itself and that is what the Second Law is all about.” 

 Nothing lasts forever—nothing but God’s love.  

 The psalmist turned this truth into a song. If you read the whole psalm, you’ll see that the phrase “his love endures forever” is repeated 26 times! Twenty-six times the psalmist gives us something to praise the Lord for and then punctuates it with the refrain.  

 Our verse this week—short enough to easily memorize and carry into each day—reminds us that the Lord is good and His love endures forever. 

 Think of the implications. When we sin and need forgiveness, the Lord is good and His love endures forever. When life gets messy, He is good and His love endures forever. When we don’t know where to turn for help, God is good and His love endures forever. When we struggle with trial, temptation, or tribulation, He is good and His love endures forever.  

 Whenever and however life overwhelms us, we can still praise the Lord: 

 He is good and His love endures forever! 

 My prayer for this week: 

Lord, I am humbled by your love, mercy, and forgiveness. May the truth of this great psalm speak to my heart today and in the coming days—no matter the setting or circumstances, I have reason to give thanks—to praise you and rely upon You.