Bible verses about thankfulness — and a 30-day plan for Thanksgiving
The Bible's best-known verse on thankfulness is 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Others are Psalm 100:4, Psalm 107:1, Colossians 3:17, Philippians 4:6 and James 1:17. They ask for thanks in every circumstance — not for every circumstance.
The verses people look for first
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Why it matters: this is the verse most people mean when they say “the Bible says to give thanks”. Read it carefully: in every thing, not for every thing. It does not ask you to pretend that loss is good. It asks you not to stop thanking God while you are in it.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Why it matters: Psalm 100 is the Bible's own psalm “for thanksgiving” — that is its title in Hebrew. Thanks is how you come in: “enter into his gates with thanksgiving”.
O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Why it matters: the refrain of the Psalms. The same call, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good”, opens Psalms 107, 118 and 136 (and follows “Praise ye the LORD” in Psalm 106), and Psalm 136 repeats “for his mercy endureth for ever” twenty-six times.
And what soever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Why it matters: thanks is not a separate activity for Sundays. Whatever you say or do in a day can be done “giving thanks”.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Why it matters: gratitude needs someone to thank. James names him: every good thing comes down from “the Father of lights”.
Thankful in hard times
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Paul wrote this from prison. Thanks sits next to the request, not instead of it — and what is promised is peace, not that the problem goes away.
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Perhaps the strongest verse of praise in hard times in the Old Testament: no harvest, no animals, nothing in the barn — “yet I will rejoice in the LORD”. It is honest about what is missing.
It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Lamentations is a book of grief over a destroyed city, and these two verses sit in its middle. Thanks for one more morning is still thanks.
Thankful for the people in your life
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
Paul thanked God for the people he wrote to, often at the start of his letters. A verse like Philippians 1:3 is a good one to write in a card.
Before a meal
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
Paul gave thanks for bread on a ship in a storm, in front of 276 frightened people, before anyone was safe. Saying grace has never depended on things going well.
30 days of thanks: one verse a day
One verse for each of the 30 days up to and through Thanksgiving. Read it in the morning; write one thing you are thankful for underneath. If you would rather not come back to this page, the app below puts a verse on your Lock Screen every morning.
- Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4
- In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 107:1
- And what soever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Colossians 3:17
- This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
- Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6
- Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17
- O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 136:1
- And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Colossians 3:15
- At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments. Psalm 119:62
- Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15
- Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. Psalm 95:2
- Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Ephesians 5:20
- Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psalm 103:2
- It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22–23
- Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Colossians 4:2
- The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. Psalm 28:7
- I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Philippians 1:3
- Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:2
- Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: Psalm 50:14
- O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Psalm 105:1
- O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
- To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. Psalm 30:12
- But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57
- Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Psalm 147:7
- I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17
- I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30
- For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 1 Timothy 4:4
- Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 106:1
- Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. Psalm 150:6
For your Lock Screen
O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 107:1King James Version
More from the Gratitude reading
These verses are part of the Gratitude reading in Plain Scripture, chosen one by one by a person:
Questions people ask
What does the Bible say about being thankful?
That thanks belongs in every part of life: in prayer (Philippians 4:6), in work and speech (Colossians 3:17), in worship (Psalm 100:4) and in hard seasons (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Habakkuk 3:17–18). Thanks is directed to God, who is called the giver of every good gift (James 1:17).
Does 1 Thessalonians 5:18 mean I should be thankful for bad things?
No. Paul writes “in every thing give thanks”, not “for every thing”. The verse asks you to keep thanking God while things are hard, not to call the hard thing good. The same letter speaks openly about grief (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Which psalm is the psalm of thanksgiving?
Psalm 100. Its Hebrew title is “a psalm for thanksgiving” (in the King James Version: “A Psalm of praise”). It is five verses long and ends: “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalms 107, 118 and 136 also open with “O give thanks unto the LORD”.
What is a short Bible verse for Thanksgiving Day?
Psalm 118:24 — “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Or Psalm 107:1 — “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Both are short enough for a card or a Lock Screen.
Is there a Bible verse about giving thanks before a meal?
Yes. Jesus gave thanks before feeding the crowds (Mark 8:6), and Paul gave thanks for bread in front of everyone on a ship in a storm (Acts 27:35). 1 Timothy 4:4–5 says food is “sanctified by the word of God and prayer”.