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15 Bible Verses to Remind Us to Be Thankful

thankful bible versesI’m am thankful Bible verses exist to keep me thinking the right way. I often forget how many things I have to be thankful for. It’s much easier for me to let the worries and frustrations of life overshadow all the blessings I enjoy. Doing that only produces a spirit of ingratitude and bitterness.

So how do I fight against my tendencies?

First off, I have to remind myself routinely to let go of the negative. Nothing good comes when I daily choose to focus on all that is wrong with my life or the world. That is no way to live life. You wake up each morning already in a bad mood.

But an even more powerful strategy is to meditate on the concept of thankfulness. And the source that I constantly turn to for that is the Bible.

Why Bible Verses on Being Thankful?

We don’t have many voices in our culture today directing us to be thankful. Let’s face it – when was the last time you saw something positive as the lead story on the nightly news? When did you last time your favorite website had an uplifting story cross your feed? It seems all we hear is gloom and doom, day in and day out.

I’m not blaming the media. There are many things in our world that present challenging circumstances that they need to report about such as world conflicts, pandemics, government decisions, racial and ethnic tension, and economic uncertainty just to name a few.

So we have to find a source that helps balance to the daily drip of negativity we are exposed to. For me, that source is the Bible. Whether you believe in its overall message or not, the thoughts contained in its verses can help center you into a more thankful spirit, even in the most trying circumstances.

With that in mind, I’d like to share with you my favorite Bible verses about being thankful. Most are simply stand alone verses that express thankfulness to God for what he has done or is doing. King David was really good at that, as you will see from the multiple selections from the book of Psalms.

What’s great about these verses is that they really need no commentary. The message or challenge in each verse is pretty clear.

Thankfulness in the Old Testament

I Chronicles 16:34 – “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever.”

Psalm 75:1 – “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.”

Psalm 100:4 – “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”

(I’d encourage you to read all of Psalm 100. It is a great section of Bible verses, with the main theme of being thankful.)

Psalm 107:8 – “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

Psalm 119:62 – “At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.”

Daniel 6:10 – “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”

(Daniel did this in direct violation to an edict to only worship and pray to the king or face penalty of death. He knew his life was on the line and yet prayed and thanked God for all that was going on in his life.) 

Jonah 2:9 – “But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.”

Related Content: 8 Bible Verses About God’s Love You Should Never Forget

Thankfulness in the New Testament

John 6:11 – “And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.”

Romans 1:21 – “…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

I Corinthians 15:57 – “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(I’m so thankful Bible verses like this one exist. No matter what I’m going through, I know there is victory in some form or fashion through the person of Jesus Christ. He is not only our redeemer but provider, defender and friend. He will see us through the most difficult of circumstances.)

Ephesians 5:20 – “…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Philippians 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…”

Related Content: 8 Bible Verses About Worry for All Life Situations

Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

I Thessalonians 5:18 – “…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Revelation 7:12 – “Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Share Your Thoughts in the Comments: What’s your favorite Bible verse about being thankful? What has God blessed you with for which you are thankful? Are you thankful Bible verses point you in the right direction?

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Comments

  1. GOD is GOOD

  2. I just read this , a great blessing!
    Thank you!

  3. Nice blog! I started a blog 6 months ago at 67 and am looking for blogs that I can learn from. I know it is hard work and often frustrating. I will give a good try even though I know I don’t have as much ‘time’.

    • Thanks Trippe…and hats off to you for starting a blog. They can be frustrating at times, especially for me on the technical and social media reach side of matters. I just like to write and hate getting bogged down with all the behind the scenes stuff. But if you have any questions feel free to send me an email.

  4. It’s all god’s grace. Happy thanksgiving, Good bless you

  5. Thank you so much for the post…

    Very helpful verses I loved it a lot…

  6. Eric Mue says

    Nothing limits me to become what God purposed I be. Jeremiah 29:11, I thank Him for He has a plan for me.

  7. Eric Mue says

    I always thank God for His goodness endures forever, we must be thankful in everything

  8. Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says

    Happy Thanksgiving! I thank God for all the blessings he has bestowed on us. Psalm 107:8 is one of my favorite verse! Thanks for his goodness, indeed!

  9. I always remember John 6:11 when sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner with the family. So thankful that we’re able to get together and have so much to share.

  10. Thanks for sharing, Brian! There’s something for just about everything in life in the scriptures and it’s always nice to have that reminder 🙂

  11. Besides the point that its awkward commenting right now with the name of my blog…Philippians 4:6 is one of my favorite scriptures. I believe that it is so great that you can be who you are, saved, not afraid to display your faith in God and maintain a successful blog. It shows that you don’t have to sell your soul to be successful.

    • Haha…that’s OK Petrish, I love all blog comments no matter where they originate from. 🙂 “…don’t have to sell your soul…” I’ve always wanted to bring faith into my writing. It’s very important to me and I want to share it routinely. But not every post will have that angle and I’m comfortable with that balance.

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