Remembered and Redeemed - Psalm 136 (part 5)

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

for His lovingkindness is everlasting....

Who remembered us in our low estate,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting,

and has rescued us from our adversaries,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting;

who gives food to all flesh,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks tot he God of heaven,

for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

(Psalm 136: 1, 23-26)

So, we come to the end of Psalm 136. We have, thus far, been reminded to thank God for His wonderful character and for His sovereign rule. Those things are practically displayed in His care over creation, His power over persecutors, and His lavishing of a land upon His chosen children.


This morning, the final two sections of the Psalm fall out. In them, we are encouraged to give thanks to the Lord - the good Lord - because we see His everlasting loving-kindness displayed in our redemption and in His daily provision. Good reason, eh?


Friends stop and think about it, we were not born noble but notorious.
By nature we are children of wrath and our father is the devil. We were born blind, deaf and dumb orphans - Ephesians goes so far as to say that we were stillborn orphans! We came into this world as God's enemies - as reckless rebels hell bent on hell itself and hating our Creator.


We were not righteous - none of us. We had no understanding of spiritual things - none of us. We did no true good nor desired to - none of us. (See Romans 3:9-13). Let that fact sink in.


God's Word declares that all of us have "sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and yet, while we were still helpless" - HELPLESS - "at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 3:23, 6)


We were in a low estate - the lowest of low estates.


But...

But God...

But God's loving-kindness is everlasting.
And He poured that everlasting loving-kindness out upon us!!

"God demonstrated His own love toward us,

in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"

(Romans 3:8).

"The wages of sin is death,

but the free gift of God is eternal life

in Christ Jesus our Lord"

(Romans 6:23)

Christian, He has seen us in our low estate, He has remembered us in our low estate, and He has done something about our low estate!!

He has rescued us from our adversaries - from our greatest adversaries - sin, self and Satan!! Therefore, "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His loving-kindness is everlasting!"

God has redeemed us from the spiritual pit and He shall preserve us with physical provision.

It is God "who gives food to all flesh, for His loving-kindness is everlasting."

He does not save our souls to destroy our bodies. No, "it is an instance of God's merciful providence that wherever He has given life, He gives food agreeable and sufficient" to sustain it!

"Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of lights,

with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow."

(James 1:17).

Lost one, are you found and fed? Then the response is simple...

"Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His lovingkindness is everlasting."

Giving thanks,

Lori