15 Bible Verses for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday in Scripture — it's a posture God commands and our hearts need. These verses are for the meal prayer, the table conversation, the card to grandparents, and the quiet morning before everyone wakes up.

1. 1.

   1 Thessalonians 5:18

   "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you."

   Not for everything. In everything. That's the discipline Thanksgiving is training us in.

2. 2.

   Psalm 100:4

   "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name."

   Thanksgiving is how you approach Him. It's not the dessert of the prayer — it's the front door.

3. 3.

   Psalm 107:1

   "Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever."

   The shortest, fullest reason to give thanks. He is good. He doesn't stop being good.

4. 4.

   Colossians 3:17

   "Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

   Thanksgiving runs underneath everything you do, not just on the fourth Thursday in November.

5. 5.

   Philippians 4:6

   "In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

   The antidote to anxiety has thanksgiving inside it. Don't ask without thanking.

6. 6.

   Psalm 95:2

   "Let's come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let's extol him with songs!"

   Show up to God with thanks already on your lips. Sing the song before you sit at the table.

7. 7.

   Ephesians 5:20

   "Giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."

   Always. All things. In Jesus' name. That's Thanksgiving as a way of life.

8. 8.

   Psalm 136:1

   "Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever."

   Psalm 136 repeats the second half twenty-six times. Some truths you have to say over and over until they sink in.

9. 9.

   Colossians 4:2

   "Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving."

   Thanksgiving is what keeps prayer awake. Without it, prayer becomes a list. With it, it stays a relationship.

10. 10.

    2 Corinthians 9:15

    "Now thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!"

    The gift Paul means is Jesus. The center of every Thanksgiving prayer should land here.

11. 11.

    Psalm 118:24

    "This is the day that Yahweh has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

    Today — even this Thanksgiving, with its tensions and empty chairs — He made it. Be glad in it.

12. 12.

    1 Chronicles 16:34

    "Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever."

    David's worship instruction, repeated everywhere in Scripture. Some things you can't say enough.

13. 13.

    James 1:17

    "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…"

    The turkey, the family, the house, the breath — everything good came from one Father. He's the actual source.

14. 14.

    Psalm 9:1

    "I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart. I will tell of all your marvelous works."

    Thanksgiving is whole-hearted, not half-hearted. Tell the stories around the table.

15. 15.

    Hebrews 12:28

    "Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can't be shaken, let's have grace, by which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe."

    Gratitude is the right response to a Kingdom that won't shake. Receive it. Then serve in awe.

Give thanks. He is good. His loving kindness endures forever. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), which is in the public domain.