Praise Is Worth Repeating

“…for his steadfast love endures forever…"
Psalm 136.1,2,3...-26

I remember some years back when one of our congregation’s self-appointed arbiters of what was acceptable worship complained to me about so-called Contemporary Christian Music (I say “so-called” because whenever they have been written, all worship songs have been contemporary to their own time.). The complaint this particular time was that modern praise choruses were “so simplistic, so repetitious.” I waited for a few moments before asking if this particular music critic would strike Psalm 136 from the canon, for surely she must find it offensive, what with the refrain, “for his steadfast love endures forever” repeated 26 times in 52 lines of poetry. Realizing that she obviously was talking with someone who knew nothing about what constituted true worship, she replied, “You cannot seriously compare modern music to the psalms!” It wasn’t long before she moved on to another church in order to bless them with her expertise in the area of sacred musicology.

Israel believed, Israel knew, that it could never praise God too much, nor would God ever deserve anything less than unending praise. And when you are trying to make a point, in this case, that God’s love can be counted on at all times and forever, a little repetition doesn’t hurt, especially when you are dealing with a people who had proven themselves, shall we say, stiff-necked. Repeating was, and is necessary if we are going to remember.

So, for 26 verses, which extol God for being good, for being God of gods and Lord or Lords, for doing wonders, for the works of Creation, for the deliverance of his people from bondage, for leading them safely through the wilderness and defeating many kings to give them the land as a heritage, for feeding not only Israel but all flesh, and, in the end., for simply being the one true God of heaven, for all these things and more which are powerful expressions of his steadfast love which endures forever, Israel gave thanks to the LORD.

You see, when it’s heartfelt praise, and the truth to boot, it’s worth repeating, isn’t it? The psalmist seemed to think so. And nothing in the Bible suggests that God finds repeated praise boring or unworthy of him. After all, the angels in heaven repeat “Holy, holy, holy” quite a lot. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to the day when, with a brand new voice fit for singing God’s eternal praises, I’ll be able to join in with the angels.

I suppose I should have exhibited a more tolerant attitude towards someone who was upholding a time honored Israelite tradition by complaining and murmuring about something that did not meet her standards for the fitting worship of God, and maybe my standards should be higher. But repeating God’s praises, it works for me. And I believe it works for the angels, and I am pretty sure it works for the saints who are already members of the heavenly choir. And I am confident it works for God too. God’s steadfast love endures forever, and so should our words of praise for him, no matter how many times we repeat them.