A famous verse, and a simple prayer

The opening verse of Psalm 118 appears to have been an important part of ancient Jewish prayer, seeing that it appears many, many places throughout the Bible. Even to this day, that verse remains an important part of worship services, whether Catholic or Protestant.

The KJV rendering of that verse reads,

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.

The verse is simple, but spiritually rich. It gives a command for how to pray (i.e., give thanks), and it lists two important reasons why we should give thanks.

The verse also is easy to memorize, and easy to convert to first person for use as a frequent prayer throughout the day. (For example, we can say, "Thanks, Lord, for you are good. Your mercy endures forever.")

However we choose to use this verse, the frequency with which it appears in the Bible strongly suggests its importance. Let us find a way to employ it in our prayer lives.