Psalm 136 can be touted as the “The Psalm of Thanks” or the “Thanksgiving Psalm.” It is a Psalm that is rich in content, apropos the character of God and since each verse in the Psalm is suffixed with “For his mercy endures forever”, it is a Psalm that is easy to read and memorize as well. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, giving thanks for the ultimate reason of sending us his only begotten Son, we will be looking at each verse in Psalm 136 and glean out the character of God from these verses, which would be reason enough to be grateful and give thanks to our LORD God.
Today we look at Verse 16.
To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
In the account of the Israelites journey from their land of Egypt, where they were in physical bondage, to the land promised to them, they wandered in the wilderness for a period of forty years, because of their hardened heart, disobedience and unbelief in God’s promises, except for two – Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14). Yet, we read from the Psalmist that while they wandered in the wilderness, they were not orphaned by God. In fact, this verse establishes that God was their leader through the wilderness – a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night – to lead and show them the way – because his mercy endures for ever.
Points to ponder:
At times, we may feel that in our life, we are wandering in the wilderness as well. The journey through what may seem desolate and deserted, with no one around in our life, may make us feel that we are all alone and that God has left us. It is likely that our own hardened hearts, disobedience and unbelief has made us reach that point in life. Yet, take solace in the fact, that God is unchanging and that through life’s wilderness, he continues to lead us. Do not be afraid; Be strong and of good courage – for the LORD God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6) . He made his promise come true when he sent his son Jesus to come into the world for us who promised and assured, I will never leave you nor forsake you and lo, I am with you always (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). Are you willing to let God be your leader?
Psalm 136:16 (KJV)
16 To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
