Psalm 136 — The Stuff of Wonder
1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
2 O give thanks unto the God of gods:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
3 O give thanks unto the Lord of lords:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
4 To him who alone doeth great wonders:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
5 To him that by understanding made the heavens:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
6 To him that spread forth the earth above the waters:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
7 To him that made great lights:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
8 The sun to rule by day:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
9 The moon and stars to rule by night:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
11 And brought out Israel from among them:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
13 To him which divided the Red Sea in sunder:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
16 To him which led his people through the wilderness:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
17 To him which smote great kings:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
18 And slew famous kings:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
19 Sihon king of the Amorites:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
20 And Og king of Bashan:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
21 And gave their land for an heritage:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
23 Who remembered us in our low estate:
For his mercy endureth for ever:
24 And hath delivered us from our adversaries:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
25 He giveth food to all flesh:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
I think, more than many of the psalms we've received fro God, we are blessed by the performance of this psalm, more than simply reading. Eyes hardened by the glare of our phones are often unwilling to take the time to read repetitive lines. Hearts heavy with the work of the day have a hard time fitting in the reading of redundant words. In this we suffer great loss.
I pray that by listening to the words aloud you may hear the wonder and grandeur at hand. Each line offers entrance to a story of God's works of wonder and power: "by understanding made the heavens," "divided the Red Sea in sunder," "smote great kings," even "remembered us in our low estate." The psalm does not elucidate, but introduces these ideas and stories. Our hearts, however, yearn to know and understand, either from memory of the stories, or by reading in full the great epic of Israel's deliverance.
The psalm slowly feeds us the stuff of wonder. It fills our hearts with the stories of God's greatness. It gets our minds on track to think, for the rest of the day, on the power of God. Indeed, his mercy endures forever. How is his mercy manifest in your life?