Responding To God's Goodness

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
- Psalm 136:1-4

Someone (the poem is anonymous) wrote Psalm 136 as a response to God’s goodness. It goes on to list all the ways God has demonstrated that goodness through securing freedom and justice for the people and generously providing everything from food to guidance. So this author created a poem to be read in a worship service that was responsive - the leader would read one line, and the people would respond with “His love endures forever.”

The overall theme of the prayer is God’s goodness - that’s where it starts off a the beginning of line one. The overall experience of that goodness felt like love (which is mentioned 26 times in the prayer) - the people feel loved because God has acted out of goodness to them. The overall response to this experience of goodness is gratitude.

Take a minute right now and think of half a dozen things about God's goodness that you experience as love (for some, it may be easier to work backwards from where you experience love and then see if you can tie that back into God’s goodness). Now respond by giving thanks for those experiences of love and for the goodness that lies behind them.