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

   "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

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

2. 2.

   Psalm 100:4

   "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; 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

   "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!"

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

4. 4.

   Colossians 3:17

   "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything 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

   "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication 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 us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!"

   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 and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

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

8. 8.

   Psalm 136:1

   "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love 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, being watchful 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

    "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible 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 the LORD has made; let us 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 the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love 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 with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

    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 the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds."

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

15. 15.

    Hebrews 12:28

    "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, 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 steadfast love endures forever. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.