Welcome to Day 143 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional! This series is about finding nourishment in the Word of God to get us through the day. In each devotional, I take a variety of scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses each) and build our understanding of what they teach via their context and connecting scripture. My goal is to help you understand how to be the type of human God created you to be.

Today’s passage is Psalm 136:1, 26. We’ll focus on the opening and closing of Psalm 136 to discuss how God’s faithful love is eternal.

Psalm 136:1, 26

NASB	NLT	VOICE
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His faithfulness is everlasting.	1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.	1 Let your heart overflow with praise to the Eternal, for He is good, for His faithful love lasts forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His faithfulness is everlasting.	26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.	26 Let your heart overflow with praise to the True God of heaven, for His faithful love lasts forever.

Psalm 136 recounts what God did in his past: the creation, exodus, and the Promised Land. The psalm breaks down five things for them to be thankful for:

• God’s sovereignty (1-3)
• God’s creation process of the heavens, earth, waters, lights, sun, moon, and stars (4-9)
• God’s exodus of the Israelites from Egypt: the killing of the firstborn (the last plague that changed Pharaoh’s heart), the parting of the Red Sea, and the death of Pharaoh. (10-16)
• God’s victory over their enemies and the increase of their land. (17-22)
• God’s promises (23-26)

We might not understand the importance of verses 4-22 because they were essential for the cultural audience of this psalm. However, we can connect with them in God’s sovereignty and promises.

We know that God is good, the supreme God over all creation or any other gods. I often find it interesting how much the Bible describes God as the God of gods, Lord of lords, and King of kings. It is important to see that there’s no attack on those who honor the gods, lords, and kings of the times and culture for whatever reason, but often religious differences. It’s connecting that God is the supreme leader of all and that nothing can replace the totality of what God can offer. Often, we see cultures follow the god of X or Y, but the Christian God is the God of all.

God remembers the moments when we feel weak. These moments are often when we cave into the world’s temptations and turn away from the teachings of God. God’s promises include his mercy, which forgives us of our sins when we repent and forget about them so that we can maintain a right and pure relationship. God protects us from our enemies. This doesn’t mean that we won’t face hard things in our lives, but it means that God will keep us protected from harm and walk us through the process until we reach victory on the other side. God will provide everything we need. Sometimes, we confuse our needs and wants, but God will provide all we need. If we think we need something outside our needs, God will give us easy access to all we need. The God of heaven is here for all of us.

BREATHE IN:                    His faithful love…

BREATHE OUT:               …endures forever.

Until next time, stay blessed!