Last week I was reading (contemplatively, mind you!) Psalm 136—you know, the one with the refrain, “for his steadfast love endures forever,” repeated 26 times, interlaced with evidences of God’s love in creation, redemption, and providence. It’s a perfect psalm for antiphonal reading, the lector announcing each instance of God’s faithful love, and his people belting out the reassurance of his loving character, till it is nailed into their hearts.
I asked myself what this psalm might look like if, say, the Apostles reworked it in light of the full revelation of our Trinitarian God and the coming of the Messiah. It occurred to me that I could take the Apostles’ Creed and merge it with Psalm 136. So I tried it, and came up with The Apostles’ Psalm:
Give thanks to God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and suffered under Pontius Pilate, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and was crucified, died, and was buried, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and descended to Hades, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and on the third day rose again from the dead, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and will come from there to judge the living and the dead, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Holy Spirit, for his steadfast love endures forever;
thank him for the holy catholic church, for God’s steadfast love endures forever;
the communion of saints, for God’s steadfast love endures forever;
the forgiveness of sins, for God’s steadfast love endures forever;
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting, for God’s steadfast love endures forever. Amen
I thought that worked well, so I prayed it.
Then I realized that Psalm 136 might be a framework by which you could compose any prayer of thanks to God for his acts of love and kindness. You could write the story of how God brought you to himself through Christ, and easily weave into it the call and refrain from Psalm 136.
Give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for his steadfast love endures forever;
who brought me into the world through believing parents, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and taught me his gospel through my uncle Alex, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and by his Spirit convicted me of my sin of lying, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and granted me faith to turn from my sin to Jesus, for his steadfast love endures forever….
And so on. You could similarly shape prayers of thanksgiving for special occasions—or for everyday use. I believe I could even write our report to churches using the Psalm 136 framework:
To the God who planted his church in Bratislava, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and gave Tomáš to be its pastor, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and Jana to be their expert organizer, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and Filip, Matúš, and Ondrej as elders, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and Eva and Ivo to lead your people in holy song, for his steadfast love endures forever;
and so forth and so on, for his steadfast love endures forever. Amen
If you want to give it a try and write your own Psalm-136-shaped prayer, please send it to me. I would be delighted to read it—and pray it with you.
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In July we kicked off our ministry reporting with Christ the King (Austin). I find these quadrennial visits to supporting churches refreshing. Of course, churches change in four years, so there are new folks to meet; but there are always those old friends who remember when we left for Slovakia and have prayed us through three terms. And although we go to churches to tell our story, we have the privilege of hearing their stories as well, of what God has been up to with them.
We’ll be heading to Austin again in August, this time to Redeemer, our home church that sent us on our way in 2007.
Please pray that, as we describe the wonderful works of God in Slovakia, people will be provoked to praise and thank him, and stirred to consider their own role in world missions, for his steadfast love endures forever.
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Tomorrow we fly to Ridgehaven for an MTW retreat called “ReConnect.” It’s a week designed for missionaries who have just returned from a term on the field. We’re looking forward to time with a few friends there. As you may have gathered, we’re trying to figure out our next steps after we wrap up this HMA, so please ask God to use the counsel of his people to help us see his path for us, for his steadfast love endures forever.
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You’ll be shocked to learn that Paula has been trying to make up for lost GT (Grandma Time). She’s traced and retraced Texas Highway 6 between Waco and Houston to do everything she can to spoil all seven of her O Best Beloveds. She’s even had chances to keep Augie (16 months) overnight a few times, away from his parents. All this puts a big smile on Paula’s face. We’re also enjoying frequent (usually ice-cream themed) visits with my parents, so please join us in thanks to our Father for placing us close to family, for his steadfast love endures forever.
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One more note sub gratiae genere (under the category of Thanksgiving): on Thursday Paula and I happily marked, with a glass of mediocre pinot noir, 43 years of marriage. Give thanks to the God of gods, the Divine Matchmaker who brought us together, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Now may the God who made you and redeemed you and cares for you each day be praised, this day and every day, for his steadfast love endures forever.
