6 Powerful Examples of Thanksgiving in the Bible

The Circumstances: Centuries before King David reigned over Israel, God set the descendants of Abraham apart from others to have a unique relationship with Him. After bringing them out of bondage in Egypt, He had them build the Ark of the Covenant in which they placed the ten commandments, some manna, and the staff of Aaron, the first high priest. It was where God’s Spirit would settle in the tabernacle when He came to be with His people.

For centuries, it did not have a permanent home, and the Philistines even stole it on one occasion as a spoil of war. After much turbulence, David was able to make Jerusalem a stable place. He had the priests and Levites consecrate themselves and bring the Ark into a great tent David made for it, and celebrated the ark returning to its rightful place in the midst of the people.

Because of the blessing of having the Ark restored to the people, and finally having it settled in the capital, the people thanked the Lord, greatly rejoicing.

Why It Is Powerful: When God restores good things to his people, it is worthy of praise.

Key Verses: 

“And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams” (1 Chronicles 15:26).

“So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres” (1 Chronicles 15:28).

“Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asapah and his brothers” (1 Chronicles 16:7).

“Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!” (1 Chronicles 16:8-10).

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The Circumstances: God’s people had been carrying around the Ark of the Covenant, keeping it in temporary tabernacles and tents. David had wanted to build a permanent temple to God, but – in part because of his adultery with Bathsheba – God did not allow him to do so.

His son, King Solomon was blessed with wisdom and wealth, and he got to build the first temple in Jerusalem. When the building was complete, Solomon dedicated the temple to God’s glory. He also thanked God for blessing the people, and for being with them. During Solomon’s reign, there was great prosperity, with many nations coming to Israel to marvel, so the dedication to the temple can be seen as the culmination of Israel’s success because of God’s blessings during the reigns of David and Solomon.

Why It Is Powerful: To see the whole nation of Israel giving praise to the Lord for their blessings serves as a reminder that God deserves the credit and the glory for the blessings that nations experience.

Key Verses: 

“As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple” (2 Chronicles 7:1).

“When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever’” (2 Chronicles 7:3).

“On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people” (2 Chronicles 7:10).

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The Circumstances: Israel would go through highs and lows during the centuries recorded in the Old Testament, drifting closer to the Lord at certain times, and away from Him at others. Often, it related to their leadership; when they had a righteous king, they obeyed the law, but when the king engaged in wickedness, so went the people.

Manasseh reigned fifty-five years, but for the first half of his reign, he disobeyed God and participated in pagan practices. He built altars, used sorcery, worked with necromancers, and even burned his own sons. The Lord allowed Assyria to capture Manasseh. Bound in chains, he finally humbled himself and asked God to forgive him and restore Jerusalem. God forgave Manasseh of his many sins and helped restore him. In response, Manasseh restored worship of the living God to Israel.

Why It Is Powerful: God forgave Manasseh of so much sin, reminding all believers that no matter how wicked the behavior, the Lord wants everyone to repent and accept His offer of forgiveness and eternal life.

Key Verses:

“And when [Manasseh] was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13).

“He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:16).

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The Circumstances: The Book of Nehemiah is full of people rising to the occasion to serve the Lord. It takes places after the exile, when God allowed the Babylonians to capture the Israelites for a time. It is partnered with the book of Ezra, which covers the restoration of Jerusalem, while Nehemiah is about the restoration of the walls of the city and the temple.

Nehemiah served in the palace of a Persian king, as the Persians had overthrown the Babylonians. During this period, some people returned to Jerusalem and were trying to restore the city, but were having difficulties. Nehemiah asked to go back and restore the walls, and received support to do so. After a lot of work, they rebuilt the walls to the city. This milestone brought on great celebrations, with all the credit going to the Lord.

Why It Is Powerful: Sometimes it can seem like an obstacle is impossible, but God helped a broken and scattered nation rebuild itself, and even softened the hearts of a foreign nation to empower it to happen; God works even in overwhelming situations.

Key Verses: 

“And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres” (Nehemiah 12:27).

“And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away” (Nehemiah 12:43).

“And they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon” (Nehemiah 12:44).

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The Circumstances: Not every powerful moment of thanksgiving is a big moment celebrating a massive blessing or change, but sometimes the context in which someone gives thanks is what matters.

Daniel lived as a captive in Babylon, serving King Darius. Despite his captivity, he faithfully loved and obeyed God. Many of the king’s counsellors were jealous of Daniel, and plotted to have him killed. They had King Darius pass a law that anyone who prayed or ask a favor of anyone other than the king for thirty days would be thrown in a den of lions, and Darius signed it. Despite the threat of death, Daniel prayed and gave thanks to God, knowing it would cost him his life. Though God saved Daniel from the lions, that act of daily thanksgiving could have cost Daniel everything.

Why It Is Powerful: Even when a believer’s life is at risk, knowing that Daniel gave thanks to God reminds everyone the Lord deserves to be thanked and praised in all circumstances.

Key Verses:

“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously” (Daniel 6:10).

“Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!’” (Daniel 6:16).

“The King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: ‘Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that all in my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions’” (Daniel 6:25-27).

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The Circumstances: Jesus Christ came to die for the sins of mankind, but He also came to set an example for those who would live after He returned to the Father. These disciples would go forth to spread the Gospel until His return. On the night of His arrest, Jesus and the apostles observed Passover, eating the traditional meal in an upper room. When the Hebrews spread the blood of the lamb over their door thousands of years earlier so the Angel of Death would pass over their house, they were acting out how the blood of Jesus would cover the sins of the world.

Jesus deepened the significance of Passover by instituting the Lord’s Supper. Before He broke the bread and drank from His cup, the Bible records that He gave thanks. Even knowing that He was about to suffer greatly, He gave thanks to God.

Why It Is Powerful: Jesus intends for thanksgiving to be a part of the Lord’s Supper, and His example shows us that it should be a regular part of our life.

Key Verses:

“He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples’” (Matthew 26:18).

“And as they were eating, he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me’” (Matthew 26:21).

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.; And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28).

Giving thanks to God is such an important part of having a relationship with Him. Sometimes it can seem difficult, but looking at passages like these in the Bible can reveal how much there is for which we can give thanks to the Lord.

For more, read: Powerful Thanksgiving Prayers and Blessings to Inspire Gratitude This Year and 50 Thanksgiving Bible Verse for Gratitude and Praise

Sources

Crabtree, Sam. Practicing Thankfulness. Wheaton: Crossway, 2021.

Horton, Michael. Core Christianity Finding Yourself in God’s Story. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.

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