psalm · 136

His Mercy Endures For Ever

now playing · His Mercy Endures For Ever

0:000:00

Autoplay next psalm

summary

The antiphon does not lie — His mercy endureth, even over your low estate.

lyrics

O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords;
For His mercy endureth for ever.

To Him who alone does great wonders;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
To Him that by wisdom made the heavens;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
To Him that stretched out the earth above the waters;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
To Him that made great lights;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
The sun to rule by day;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
The moon and stars to rule by night;
For His mercy endureth for ever.

To Him that smote Egypt in their firstborn;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
And brought out Israel from among them;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
With a strong hand and with a stretched-out arm;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
To Him who divided the Red Sea into parts;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
And made Israel to pass through the midst of it;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
To Him who led His people through the wilderness;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
To Him who smote great kings;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
And slew famous kings;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
Sihon king of the Amorites;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
And Og the king of Bashan;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
And gave their land for an heritage;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
Even an heritage unto Israel His servant;
For His mercy endureth for ever.

Who remembered us in our low estate;
For His mercy endureth for ever:
And has redeemed us from our enemies;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
Who gives food to all flesh;
For His mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of heaven;
For His mercy endureth for ever.

go deeper

Psalm 136: His Mercy Endures For Ever

When you need to remember — that You're still my Shepherd.

What's Going On…

You can sit in a week where the news of your own life has been bad enough that you have stopped tracking the receipts of God's faithfulness — every blow has crowded out the previous mercy, every bill has buried the last provision. You are not in unbelief. You are out of breath.

You do not need new evidence. You need the antiphon, the line that comes back after every verse — "His mercy endureth for ever" — to drop into the cracks between everything that has happened and everything that is coming next.

What It Means

This is a call-and-response prayer. The leader names a thing God has done; the people answer with one line, every time: "For His mercy endureth for ever." Twenty-six verses. Twenty-six times. The repetition is the point. He wants you to feel the relentless rhythm of a mercy that does not run out.

He starts at the top: "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good." Goodness is the foundation; mercy is the duration. Then He layers the receipts. Creation: "To Him that by wisdom made the heavens... To Him that stretched out the earth above the waters... to Him that made great lights." Mercy under the sun, mercy under the moon, mercy over every water.

Then redemption: "To Him that smote Egypt in their firstborn... and brought out Israel from among them... With a strong hand and with a stretched-out arm." Then deliverance: "To Him who divided the Red Sea into parts... and made Israel to pass through the midst of it." Then provision: "To Him who led His people through the wilderness."

Then the line that lands hardest in a stretch like yours: "Who remembered us in our low estate; for His mercy endureth for ever: and has redeemed us from our enemies." He does not skip the low estate. He remembers there.

The close: "Who gives food to all flesh; for His mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of heaven; for His mercy endureth for ever." Cosmic, historic, daily — every layer covered by the same enduring mercy.

Right Here, Right Now

• Right now, pray the antiphon out loud three times — slow — over the thing that has been pressing down on you: "His mercy endureth for ever. His mercy endureth for ever. His mercy endureth for ever."
• Write down three things He has done for you. After each one, say out loud: "For His mercy endureth for ever."
• Repeat this line when the mercy seems buried: "Who remembered us in our low estate; for His mercy endureth for ever."

Selah

Stop. Breathe. Let the antiphon land — once, twice, twenty-six times if you need it — then tell Him exactly where you need His mercy to endure now — out loud if you can.

Prayer

God, You are good, and Your mercy endureth for ever.
You made the heavens, and Your mercy endureth for ever.
You divided the sea where there was no path, and Your mercy endureth for ever.
You remembered us in our low estate, and Your mercy endureth for ever.
You give food to all flesh — to me, in this house, in this week — and Your mercy endureth for ever.
You're still my Shepherd, and Your mercy endureth for ever.

Stay Strong

The antiphon does not lie — His mercy endureth, even over your low estate.

comments · 0

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.

← psalm 135 all psalms psalm 137 →