By the Rev. Kent Otterman, Good Samaritan Society in Albert Lea, Round Prairie Lutheran Church in Glenville and Faith Lutheran Church in London

You don’t have to live very long in this world before it becomes painfully clear that nothing lasts forever. The car you were so proud of when you bought it is spending too much time in the shop getting fixed. Those clothes you picked up on sale are now in the hand-me-down box. At home, the roof eventually leaks, the appliances break down and the carpet needs to be replaced. Our bodies change as we age, and our relationships do too. Eventually death separates loved ones from each other.

Nothing lasts forever-nothing but God’s mercy, that is. Twenty-six times we are reminded of this inspiring truth in Psalm 136. Twenty-six times the writer tells us something for which to praise the Lord, and then he reminds us, “His mercy endures forever.”

When we sin and need forgiveness, His mercy endures forever. When our lives seem a jumbled mess that we can’t control, His mercy endures forever. When we can’t find anyone to turn to for help, God’s mercy endures forever. When each day is a struggle because of illness, despair or conflict, His mercy endures forever. Whenever life seems overwhelming, we can still praise the Lord, for God’s mercy endures forever.