Thursday, January 22, 2026

             Psalm 136 is often referred to as a Psalm of thanksgiving or a Psalm of gratitude.  To be thankful is to be grateful.  And to be grateful is to be thankful.  Psalm 136 opens with a three-fold declaration of gratitude.  We read, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods.  His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1-3).  At least three interesting features stand out about these three verses. 
            First, the command “give” is repeated three times.  It is not so much an invitation as it is an imperative.  We are to give thanks to the Lord.  We reserve a Thursday in November every year to formalize our Thanksgiving.  But the Psalmist calls us to a deeper and more frequent expression of thankfulness.  Any command in the Bible is worthy of our attention and worth remembering.  A command that is repeated three times is especially important to recall and to practice.  Perhaps you can season your day with expressions of thanksgiving to God for the blessings you have enjoyed and currently enjoy.  An otherwise ordinary or even despairing day can often change with an infusion of thanksgiving.
            Second, we are told where to direct our thanksgiving.  Each verse gives a slightly different take on the One to whom we owe gratitude and thankfulness.  Verse 1 says to give thanks to the LORD.  The all-capitalized form of LORD means the “Great I AM.”  This title for God refers to the name He revealed to Moses at the burning bush.  Any time the word LORD appears in all caps, we are to think of the Great I AM.  Verse 2 says that God is the God of gods.  In Israel’s day (and still now), people worship lesser things, human things and material things.  These things claim our attention, time and devotion.  We can easily turn them into gods that we chase, pursue and bow before.  The Psalmist was pointing out that the LORD is the God over all these lesser things that do not deserve our praise or gratitude. God is GOD over all and everything.  He takes a backseat to no one.  Why make a god out of something that has been made by God and subject to Him?  Verse 3 says to give thanks to the Lord of lords.  We all know individuals in positions of authority and leadership.  God is Lord of all these lesser lords.  You may remember that Pilate tried to flaunt his authority before Jesus.  In turn, Jesus correctly pointed out that Pilate would have no authority unless it had been given to him from above.  The Lord is Lord over all lesser leaders, kings, judges and rulers.  The LORD is Lord!
            Third, almost as a postscript, the Psalmist repeats a refrain three times.  The refrain is “His love endures forever.”  God’s love is constant and changeless.  It does not end, bow or break.  It is everlasting.  In the middle of a three-fold command to give thanks, the Bible gives us one three-fold reason for why we express our thankfulness.  God’s love is consistently everlasting.  We never have to worry about whether God loves us.  He did.  He does.  And He will.  Take the direction of Psalm 136 to heart and inject gratitude into your days.  Have a great Thursday!