I often point out to others that repetition in the Bible is God's way of emphasizing that we need to pay special attention to what the Spirit is saying to us. So it is, as I was meditating on Psalm 136. In this Psalm we see the repetition of the phrase "His love endures forever." Psalm 136 is what's considered an antiphonal Psalm. In other words the leader would speak a Biblical truth and the congregation would respond with the repetition or echo to the leader's words. We see this type of call and response in some churches today, especially in church traditions that are more liturgical and will use an antiphonal format as a call to worship. It's very easy to overlook this Psalm as we tend to typically get bored with anything that's repetitive. We can look at Psalm 136 and say to ourselves, "Yes I get the point, "His love endures forever." However do we realize how significant these four words are?
The Power of Enduring Love
No matter what the situation or circumstance, His love endures forever. Are you divorced? (His love endures forever) Are you struggling emotionally or spiritually? (His love endures forever) Have you made some poor choices or decisions in the past? (His love endures forever) The amazing thing about our God is unlike people whose love can come or go based on an individual's expectations of us or our failure to meet their needs, God's love never changes and He never gets exhausted of caring about us or helping us, no matter what the situation or circumstance. Paul makes a significant statement about God's enduring love in Roman 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV) Take some time to think about all the ways you have fallen short or the times when you have experienced fear, shame, or guilt. Then, repeat to yourself the antiphonal response of Psalm 136 as a source of encouragement, "HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!"
Peace in Christ,
Pastor Sheree
