The Psalms—a collection of prayers and hymns from throughout Israel’s history—offer a variety of emotions, from sorrow to joy, despair to gratitude. Many of us turn to this book of the Bible when we need consolation or want to express our appreciation. This psalm is devoted to praise and thanksgiving. The psalmist celebrates the steadfastness of God’s love. Using a call-and-response format, the psalmist invites others to join him in giving thanks.

To be steadfast means to be firm in belief or in place. A tall order, to be sure, but certainly one that describes the relationship God offers us. God will always be; God will not desert us or fall short.

How have you experienced God’s steadfastness?

Before I go to bed on Saturday nights, I write a gratitude list for the preceding week. From family dinners to finished manuscripts, lunch with a friend to a walk around the lake, I note the sacred—in whatever form I encountered it—that graced my days. It’s an evocative reminder of how God is revealed to me, over and over again, on a regular basis. And it’s a nice lead-in to my attending worship on Sunday mornings.

Another practice I’ve adopted is to stop when I see something that brings the awesomeness of God to my attention. When I pause for a purple sunset in the mountains of western North Carolina or a middle-aged woman helping her elderly mother at the grocery store, I take a deep breath and say, “Thank you, gracious God, for this.” Maybe I utter it out loud, or maybe I meditate on the words silently. Either way, it just takes a few seconds, and it grounds me in gratitude.

How might you respond to God’s steadfastness today?