Psalm 136 is often called the Great Halal,
A sacred litany of remembrance,
Gratitude and steadfast love.
Its rhythmic refrain,
For His mercy endures forever,
Is not merely poetic repetition.
It is a spiritual practice in itself,
Anchoring the heart again and again in trust.
This psalm was designed to be spoken aloud,
Often responsively,
Allowing the words to sink beyond the intellect and into the body and soul.
In a world that moves quickly and forgets easily,
Psalm 136 teaches us how to slow down,
How to remember,
And how to return again and again to the truth that mercy is constant even when life is not.
This psalm offers more than theology.
It offers a form of inner regulation.
Repetition calms the nervous system.
Gratitude reshapes perception,
Remembering,
Restores meaning.
Psalm 136 gently weaves all three into a prayer that steadies us when life feels uncertain.
Psalm 136 I give thanks to the Lord,
For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
O give thanks to the God of gods,
For His mercy endures forever.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever.
The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever.
The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn,
For His mercy endures forever.
And brought out Israel from among them,
For His mercy endures forever.
With a strong hand and with an outstretched arm,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
For His mercy endures forever.
And made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His mercy endures forever.
But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who struck down great kings,
For His mercy endures forever.
And slew famous kings,
For His mercy endures forever.
Sibon,
King of the Amorites,
For His mercy endures forever.
And Og,
King of Bashan,
For His mercy endures forever.
And gave their land as a heritage,
For His mercy endures forever.
A heritage to Israel,
His servant,
For His mercy endures forever.
Who remembered us in our lowly state,
For His mercy endures forever.
And rescued us from our enemies,
For His mercy endures forever.
Who gives food to all flesh,
For His mercy endures forever.
O give thanks to the God of heaven,
For His mercy endures forever.
O give thanks to the Lord for He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
O give thanks to the God of gods,
For His mercy endures forever.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His mercy endures forever.
The psalm opens not with argument or explanation,
But with an invitation.
Gratitude here is not dependent on circumstances.
It is a posture of the heart.
Each call to give thanks is immediately met with a reminder of mercy.
As though the psalm knows how quickly we forget why gratitude is possible.
Gratitude shifts us out of survival.
It moves our awareness from what is lacking to what is sustaining us.
It reminds us that goodness is not fragile,
It is enduring.
By naming God as God of gods and Lord of lords,
The psalm gently relativizes our fears.
Whatever power looms large in our lives,
Anxiety,
Loss,
Responsibility or uncertainty is not ultimate.
Mercy is.
To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever.
The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever.
The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever.
The psalm now turns our gaze outward to creation itself.
The heavens formed by wisdom,
The earth held above the waters,
The great lights of day and night,
Each given their time and purpose.
In moments of overwhelm,
We often become small inside our own thoughts.
This passage invites expansion.
Wonder loosens the grip of fear,
Or reminds us that life is larger than our current concerns.
The sun and the moon both rule in their appointed times.
Light and darkness are not in competition but belong.
This can be deeply comforting when we are navigating seasons of uncertainty or shadow.
Even the night has its guardians.
Even darkness is held within mercy.
To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn,
For His mercy endures forever.
And brought out Israel from among them,
For His mercy endures forever.
With a strong hand and with an outstretched arm,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
For His mercy endures forever.
And made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His mercy endures forever.
But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who struck down great kings,
For His mercy endures forever.
And slew famous kings,
For His mercy endures forever.
Sibon,
King of the Amorites,
For His mercy endures forever.
And Og,
King of Bashan,
For His mercy endures forever.
And gave their land as a heritage,
For His mercy endures forever.
A heritage to Israel,
His servant,
For His mercy endures forever.
Here the psalm moves into memory.
Specific,
Embodied,
And unsanitized.
It recalls oppression and liberation,
Danger and passage,
Resistance and victory,
Egypt,
The Red Sea,
The wilderness,
The long road toward inheritance.
These verses remind us that faith does not deny struggle.
Instead,
It tells the truth about it,
While refusing to let struggle have the final word.
Healing often happens when we revisit our stories and recognize where strength,
Support,
Or grace carried us through.
This psalm does exactly this.
Each difficult memory is followed immediately by the refrain,
For His mercy endures forever.
Not because the hardship was easy,
But because mercy was present even there.
Verses 23-25 Who remembered us in our lowly state,
For His mercy endures forever.
And rescued us from our enemies,
For His mercy endures forever.
Who gives food to all flesh,
For His mercy endures forever.
The tone now becomes intimate.
The grand sweep of history narrows to the tenderness of being remembered.
To be remembered is to be seen.
To be rescued is to be valued.
This is mercy,
Not as abstraction,
But as attention.
God remembers us when we feel small,
Overlooked,
Or worn down.
God meets us in vulnerability and provides what is needed.
Rescue,
Nourishment,
Sustenance.
There is deep reassurance here.
Mercy is not reserved for moments of strength or success.
It meets us precisely where we are.
Verse 26 O give thanks to the God of heaven,
For His mercy endures forever.
The psalm closes as it began with thanksgiving.
This circular movement mirrors the spiritual journey itself.
We begin with gratitude,
Travel through memory,
Struggle,
And wonder,
And return changed,
Still thankful,
But now steadier,
Softer,
And more trusting.
Gratitude becomes not just something we offer,
But something we live inside.
A Prayer Merciful Presence Teach us to remember not only our wounds,
But the ways we were carried.
When fear tightens its grip,
Remind us of what endures.
When we forget ourselves,
Remember us again.
May gratitude ground us,
May remembrance heal us,
And may trust grow quietly within us,
For Your mercy endures forever.
Amen.
