The Grateful Refrain
Posted by: forthright <forthright@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross
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The record player may be outdated, but not this
idea.
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COLUMN: Final Phase
The Grateful Refrain
by J. Randal Matheny
The author of Psalm 136 sounds like a broken
record. (Now that's an outdated cliché!) For every
imperative to give thanks for the Lord's goodness
and for every mention of his action in creation or
salvation history, he inserts this short
declaration.
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
Everything God has done or now does shows his
motivation. God acts because he is love.
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
We need that same refrain playing in our ears.
In a world where men kill themselves to destroy
hundreds and thousands in the name of religion, we
need to know that God sent his Only Son to die to
save billions of souls.
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
In a day when you define right and wrong to fit
yourself, the God who calls people to his holiness
and destroys the unjust calls us to rejoice.
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
In an era of mass communications when one can
never be sure the reporter is telling the truth or
that the network isn't slanting the news, seeing
God's indelible and undeniable footprints in
history is an exercise in objectivity.
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
In a dog-eat-dog, me-first work climate, where
people are names to be networked and rungs to
climb the corporate ladder, the giving, unselfish,
gracious Lord "gives food to every creature."
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
In a make-me-happy maze of relationships, where
importance is judged by how fulfilled one feels,
the Almighty's calling by his name, not by our
usefulness, brings us eternal value.
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
In a society that sees lack of commitment as the
norm, the God who "led his people through the
desert" after 40 years of rebellion stands out.
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
In a worldview that sees history as an unconnected
series of dots or a meaningless jumble of events,
the God who plans, executes, and consummates his
purpose answers our whys and wherefores.
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
No wonder, then, that Psalm 136 begins and ends
with a call to "Give thanks to the God of heaven."
For of all things, eternal love in action begets
gratitude.
To borrow A. A. Neale's phrase, I'm thankful for
that.
"For His lovingkindness is forever."
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