The Psalm begins and ends by urging us to give thanks, Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures for ever (v1). Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures for ever. (v26). It presents us with four encouragements to be thankful people:
The Lord is Good
The opening verses remind us of His character, that He is supremely good. Verses 1-3 encourage us: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. Give thanks to the God of gods. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. It’s clear that, in every sense, the Lord is Supreme in the universe and that He is supremely good. He is good to His people and this should cause us to be a thankful people.
The Lord is Creator
He is awesome and powerful. Psalm 136 goes on to remind us that the Lord made everything in the universe. Verses 6-9 say, The Lord spread out the earth upon the waters ... He made... the sun ... the moon and stars. It’s easy to just let those words float over our heads. But we only have to glance at the night sky and we begin to see the vastness of all that the Lord has done. We might ask ourselves why the Lord has made the universe so huge. One reason is so we could say, the Lord ... alone does great wonders (v4). It’s there to show us the Lord’s greatness as creator. So if we’re not sure who to thank – we have a reminder each time we view the sky atnight.
Of course, the Lord isn’t just a God far off in space. Jesus is the Lord. He came to our planet and dwelt among us. He is the Creator. As John 1:3 declares, Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. Let’s never be slow to thank the Lord Jesus who has made everything.
The Lord is Provider
Psalm 136:25 proclaims that He gives food to His creatures. It is so easy for us to think that our food comes from the supermarket, the market stall, or even from our own hard work in the garden. Behind the meals we eat there will be someone who has prepared the food, behind them will be a food retailer and a farmer. But behind them all there is the Lord God. He ultimately provides our food, He causes it to grow. The Lord gives every breath to the human beings who are involved in bringing food to our tables.
When the Lord Jesus walked in His world, He demonstrated that He is the Lord who is provider. At the feeding of the 5000 He provided ample food for thousands from just 5 loaves and 2 fish.
The Lord is Rescuer
The largest section of Psalm 136 shows that the Lord rescues His people. This gives us the reason to thank Him most. Our need of rescue is so great, that Jesus turned up on earth to do all that was needed to rescue people. He gave His life on a cross because it was the only way to rescue those who are lost from God.
The Lord has great things for His people to enjoy for ever. When we read Psalm 136, we cannot fail to notice that in every verse we are told,
His love endures for ever. The sacrificial rescue of the Lord Jesus offers His people something that will last for each and every day for eternity. Now that’s something for which we should be truly thankful.
David Williams - EEFC Focus Magazine November 2007