Remember What Remains (Friday Devotional)

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
O give thanks to the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
and rescued us from our foes,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
who gives food to all flesh,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

O give thanks to the God of heaven,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

-      Psalm 136:1-3, 23-26

In this season of pandemic, we have seen the world around us turned upside down. Schools shuttered for the remainder of the year, sports leagues postponed their seasons indefinitely, and churches moved their worship online. Wearing a face mask in public, once the mark of a criminal, has now become a sign of good citizenship. Most difficult, we all went weeks without seeing beloved friends and family members.

With so much changing so quickly, I’ve found myself comforted more and more by those aspects of my routine which remain in place, those parts of my day that look just like they did two months ago. My alarm still goes off at the same time it did at the beginning of March. I still curl into a comfy chair with coffee and a book for a couple hours before my family wakes up. I still run the same 2-mile route around the neighborhood every day. In a time when so much else has changed, there is comfort in the familiarity and the repetition of a daily routine.

Reading Psalm 136 is an exercise in remembering what remains consistent even when change abounds. As the writer gives thanks and narrates Israel’s history, the refrain is metronomic, with every other line of the psalm repeating, “For his steadfast love endures forever.” The effect is simple yet powerful, reminding the reader through repetition what never changes or fails. The world is always changing, the psalm seems to say, but the love of the Lord endures forever.

In a time when the world can feel unrecognizable, it’s important to hold onto and honor that which hasn’t changed. It’s important to know what remains when all else fades away. And as the psalmist does, it’s important to give thanks to the Lord—for his steadfast love endures forever.