Nuthin’ like It! August 2, 2026

After a meal, does your family pray Psalm 136:1, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever”? That short prayer is not just a reminder to say “thank You” to God, who provides daily bread for our bodies. It also repeats why God provides, specifically, because of “His steadfast love.” In fact, if you pray that entire psalm, it lists the many ways God provides for all our needs of body and soul. The rich Hebrew word translated “steadfast love” reflects not only God’s general attitude but also His mighty acts and deeds to provide for His people’s entire lives and well-being. Jesus’ provision of food for the people in the wilderness (Matthew 14) as well as “our daily bread” call to the mind of faith His ultimate gift of love, the forgiveness of our sins. As the prophet Isaiah speaks of the “rich food” God provides “that your soul may live” (Isaiah 55:2–3), so the humble Meal of bread and wine in the Sacrament of the Altar causes us to remember the greatest work of our Lord’s steadfast love on the cross. At the altar, we receive the very substance of God’s steadfast love that enlivens and strengthens a steadfast faith that will endure until we are welcomed to the great and promised heavenly feast of eternal life.