Sometimes it’s hard to say “thank you.” Perhaps it’s because we’re embarrassed to admit our dependance and neediness. Maybe we simply get distracted and forget to express the appropriate appreciation. It could be that we don’t say “thank you” because we fail to understand the effort that was involved in the care we received. Maybe we assume that saying it too much dampens the authenticity of our thanks. Or perhaps it’s because we have bitterness in our hearts toward the person that served us.

Interestingly, those same reasons can also create barriers to expressing our gratitude to God—we don’t want to admit we need him as much as we do, we get preoccupied with life, we don’t comprehend the extent of his care, we want to avoid mindless repetition, or we are angry because we think he has failed us in the past.

Sometimes it’s hard to say “thank you” to God but Psalm 136 is going to make it easier.

SERMON MANUSCRIPT 

 

Sometimes it’s hard to say ‘thank you.’ 

I recently overheard someone complimenting my daughter on a dress she was wearing, the only response to which was a silent stare. Recognizing the rude stalemate, I prompted her: “Say, ‘thank you,’” at which point the stare turned into a grimace that looked like my four-year-old was passing a kidney stone. I guess expressing gratitude can feel that way sometimes.

But it’s not just children, is it? Sometimes it’s hard for adults to say ‘thank you.’ Perhaps it’s because we’re embarrassed to admit our dependance and neediness. Maybe we simply get distracted and forget to say it. It could be that we don’t say “thank you” because we fail to understand the effort that was involved in the care we received. Maybe we assume that saying it too much dampens the authenticity of our thanks. Or perhaps it’s because we have bitterness in our hearts toward the person that served us.

Interestingly, those same reasons can stop us from saying ‘thank you’ to God. We don’t want to admit we need him as much as we do, we get distracted by life, we don’t comprehend the level of his care, we want to avoid rote appreciation, or we’re angry because we think he’s failed us in the past.

Sometimes it’s hard to say ‘thank you’ to God but, this morning, Psalm 136 is going to make it easier. Turn there if you have a Bible: Psalm 136. This Psalm is a hymn celebrating one of the greatest reasons there is to thank God: his love. Psalm 136 invites us to wipe the grimace off our faces, silence the distractions, acknowledge our neediness, and humbly say ‘thank you’ to our Lord.

This Psalm was likely used as a call-and-response in the gathering of God’s people and I’d like to try together today. I’ll read the first half of every verse and I’ll invite you to respond with the refrain which is always: “For his lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Psalm 136 is a hymn of thanks for God’s enduring love, a reality that can and will fuel our gratitude forever. 

I want to tackle this passage in four stages this morning. First, we’ll notice the object of thanksgiving (God). Second, we’ll highlight the reason for thanksgiving (God’s love). Third, we’ll study the examples for thanksgiving (manifestations of God’s love). Finally, we’ll submit to the call to thanksgiving (our gratitude for God’s love). So, the object, the reason, the examples, and the call.

THE OBJECT OF THANKSGIVING

We have to begin with the foundation—the object of thanksgiving. The three-verse introduction makes it unmistakable. [136:1a, 2a, 3a] Three times the author tells the congregation to “give thanks” to God.

And to make it super clear to whom their thanks is to be directed, the psalmist uses all three of the most common names for God—Yahweh, Elohim, and Adonai—one after another. 

In verse one he says, “Give thanks to the Lord,” that’s Yahweh, the covenant name that God gave himself at the burning bush: “God said to Moses, ‘I Am Who I Am’ … ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, “I Am has sent me to you.”’” In verse two it’s “the God of gods,” Elohim. In verse three it’s “the Lord of lords,” Adonai.

This reminds me of Genesis 22 when God tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham famously only had one son and yet God says, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah” (v. 2). It seems redundantly specific but there’s no way Abraham could have misunderstood who God was talking about.

It’s the same in Psalm 136. “Thank your God, the only God, the one who’s Lord, Yahweh.” He, and he alone, is the object of thanksgiving.

I think one reason we fail to thank God is that we’re too busy thanking other gods, the gods of coincidence and luck, science and progress, work ethic and education, family and friends, our mentors or ourselves. Now, we can (and should) be thankful for some of those things but we shouldn’t be so dazzled with earthly powers that we ignore the heavenly power behind it all. Sometimes we’re too busy thanking the proxies to thank the source. [Col 3:17]

Psalm 136 is pointing God’s people to what should be the ultimate object of their thanksgiving: the covenant-making, covenant-keeping, supremely good, and transcendently authoritative God of the universe.

THE REASON FOR THANKSGIVING

And while there are countless reasons to do so, this passage highlights one. According to the psalmist, the reason for thanksgiving is God’s love. I mean, it’s repeated twenty-six times: “For his lovingkindness is everlasting.” or “his love extends to eternity” or “his love never fails.” 

The Hebrew word for “lovingkindness” is hesed which is notoriously difficult to fully capture in English—“loyal love,” “faithful love,” or “steadfast love.” But what’s clear about the word is that it depicts more than emotion. God’s love refers to his faithfulness to his word and his commitment to the good of his people. Hesed is a committed, need-meeting love that is given even when unreturned.

This is what marital love is supposed to be. Two people swearing an oath to love for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health. It’s my promise to faithfully love my wife, not because she deserves it or because she’s always loveable, but because I said I would. It’s the love described in the passage that’s often read at such ceremonies. [1 Cor 13:4–8a] 

People fail to love with this type of love but this type of love never fails. The good news is that God loves us with this type of love. God’s love isn’t so much something he feels but something he does because it’s something he is. [1 John 4:7–10]

“God is love … [and] his lovingkindness is everlasting.” Just as God is everlasting, so is his love. It’s perpetual, forever, permanent, eternal. God’s love goes on-and-on independent of us because God is independent of us. And, according to Psalm 136, that’s a great reason for thanksgiving.

Your boss may ignore and devalue you but God loves you. Your friends might tease and hurt you but God loves you. Your teachers might mock and discourage you but God loves you. Your boyfriend or girlfriend may mistreat and dismiss you but God loves you. Your spouse may fail to be what they’ve promised to be but God loves you. Your children may embarrass and reject you but God loves you. Your church may disappoint and wound you but God loves you. Your pastor may offend and fail you but God loves you. 

We are loved by the God of the universe with a forever-enduring, never-failing love. That’s a great reason for thanksgiving. 

THE EXAMPLES FOR THANKSGIVING

So, according to Psalm 136, the object of thanksgiving is God and the reason for thanksgiving is his love. Now we turn to the examples for thanksgiving. In other words, the evidence of God’s love that fuels our gratitude for his love.

You may appreciate a friend telling you they love you. But when you stop and consider all the ways their love works itself out in your relationship together, your thanksgiving grows. You remember the time they gave you, the emotional support, the birthday gifts, the rides to the airport, etc. It’s fuel for gratitude. 

And that’s what the psalmist provides in most of this Psalm. Verse 4 gives a bit of a summary: [136:4]. Do you want evidence of God’s love? Do you want motivation to thank him for his faithfulness and kindness to you? Look no further than his wonderful works, his mighty acts.

The Creation of the World

And the psalmist gets specific, starting with the creation of the world. [136:5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a]

In fashioning together the world God demonstrated his love, and it’s a love that is powerful, creative, and wise. His is a love that can give rebels new hearts, orchestrate the global spreading of the gospel, and wisely delay the consummation of all things.

I’m not sure if you heard or not but this past week there was an eclipse. Some Christians were declaring its prophetic significance. I’m far from convinced. But I am convinced of this: it was a wonderful work that displayed God’s love. I was out for a jog when it went dark and I said to myself, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” [Ps 19:1]

The Exodus from Egypt

In verse 10, the psalmist shifts from the creation of the world to the exodus from Egypt. [136:10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, 15a]

Not only is God’s love powerful, creative, and wise as seen in creation but it’s also a liberating and protecting love as seen in the exodus. It’s a love that breaks the bonds of sin and shame and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. It’s a love that frees us from what we deserve and defends us from the Accuser.

The Care for Israel

Finally, the psalmist gives examples from the care for Israel. [136:16a, 17a, 18a, 19a, 20a, 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a] God’s love is a people-leading, promise-keeping, and need-providing love. God led the Hebrews through the wilderness, was faithful to his covenant with them, fed them, sheltered them, and walked with them. 

His is a love that leads his people in paths of righteousness, a love that is dependable and trustworthy, and a love that will meet every need.

Great wonders! Amazing works! Why did God do these things? Answer: “For his lovingkindness is forever.” That’s why. It was God’s love that motivated the creation of the world, the exodus from Egypt, and the care for Israel. And these mighty acts show his love to be powerful, creative, and wise; liberating and protecting; people-leading, promise-keeping, and need-providing.

The Psalmist says, “Give thanks for the Lord!” Why should we? “Because of his love!” What love? “I’ll give you some examples!”

And you and I have examples to give too, don’t we? Consider your life and the evidence of God’s love you’ve experienced. Your family, your health, your country, your opportunities. We may see God’s hand in healing, guiding, saving, keeping, providing, and comforting. He alone does great wonders.

The object of thanksgiving is God, the reason for thanksgiving is his love, and the examples for thanksgiving are myriad. Just look around and you’ll find not only evidence of his love but pictures of the character of his love as well.

THE CALL TO THANKSGIVING

That leaves us with one more stage today, and that’s to apply this psalm, to be doers of the word, and not mere hearers. It’s the call to thanksgiving. The hymn that is Psalm 136 concludes with a command of summation: [136:26]

The call is pretty clear. We, as God’s people, are to be a thankful people. A people overflowing with gratitude directed toward a particular God for, at the very least, his perpetual love for us.

I have no doubt that everyone in this room could—and maybe should— write their own version of Psalm 136. 

To him who called me out of darkness into light, for his lovingkindness endures forever. To him who gave me a job and kept me safe on my commutes, for his lovingkindness endures forever; and has provided me years of food and shelter, for his lovingkindness endures forever.  

To him who blessed me with a family that loves me, for his lovingkindness endures forever. A church family that prays for me, for his lovingkindness endures forever.  And experiences that have shaped me, for his lovingkindness endures forever.  

To him who gave me his Spirit as a seal and a pledge, for his lovingkindness endures forever. Who patiently works in me to change me into who he wants me to be, for his lovingkindness endures forever. To him who uses me in spite of myself, for his lovingkindness endures forever. And has a home prepared for me in glory, for his lovingkindness endures forever.  

Sometimes it’s hard to say ‘thank you’ to God. Whether we’re distracted, ungrateful, ignorant, embittered, immature, forgetful, or any other reason. But in Psalm 136 God reminds us that we really have no excuse for ingratitude and he calls us to thanksgiving. [136:1a, 2a, 3]

 

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