8 Beautiful Scriptures to Guide Your Thanksgiving Gratitude

This Psalm encourages us to worship the Lord. We are invited to “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” (Psalm 100:4). The basis of our praise and gratitude is the Lord God. He is our Creator who is good and loving (Psalm 100:3, 5). Once we know the character of the Lord, and that we belong to Him, our natural response is to worship Him with shouts and songs, and to serve Him wholeheartedly.

Meditating on this short yet impactful Psalm, we can see how thanksgiving is connected to praise. We worship Him as we approach Him in thankfulness. All that we are and have in life are solely because of the Lord. He created us for Himself, to love and glorify Him. These verses show us that biblical gratitude is rightly given to God – not ourselves (Psalm 100:3).

So, this Thanksgiving, let us not forget to thank the Lord. He is our Creator and is deserving of praise.

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Another psalm that encourages grateful meditation on God is Psalm 136. Repeated throughout the Psalm is the reminder that God’s love endures forever. We see examples of this in the other verses that tell us of the Lord’s works.

He is the great Lord who alone is God and does wonders (Psalm 136:1-4). As the Creator of all, He formed the waters on the earth, the sun, moon, and stars (Psalm 136:4-9). This God who made the universe is the same God who freed the Israelites from slavery through the Passover miracle and led them through the Red Sea (Psalm 136:10-15). He protected and preserved them in their wilderness wanderings, giving them victory over mighty kings, and bringing them into the Promised Land (Psalm 136:16-22). The Lord showed His love for Israel by helping them when they were lowly, freeing them from slavery, and feeding them and every other creature (Psalm 136:23-25).

During Thanksgiving, we too can pause and remember all that God has done. If we look to the Bible, we see numerous examples of His loving faithfulness including the deliverance of the Israelites and the salvation that is offered to all because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We can also thank the Lord for everything He has done in our lives, for He has brought us out of death to life through His Son. His love never ends. May we follow the psalmist’s call to “Give thanks to the God of heaven” (Psalm 136:26).

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A passage from Lamentations is not one that people would usually consider during Thanksgiving – a day of rejoicing filled with festivities. Yet, we should consider these verses. Not everyone is in a positive situation during the holidays. Someone may have experienced the death of a loved one, been affected by a natural disaster, or recently lost a job. Mixed with all of this is the suffering we see in the world. The question could arise in our minds, (though maybe not directly expressed to others): “How can I be thankful when there are terrible events around me and people are suffering?”

Jeremiah, the author of Lamentations, was no stranger to suffering. Known as the weeping prophet, he saw the desolation of Jerusalem after its fall. He had prophesied for years about the coming destruction, but the people did not heed the Lord’s warning. In seeing all the suffering and devastation, he wrote, “my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is” (Lamentations 3:17).

Amid the lament for Jerusalem and the Israelites, though, he turned his focus back to God. He chose to remember the Lord’s faithful love. A few verses later, we read, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Many of us may be going through challenging times of pain or sorrow this Thanksgiving. For those who are finding it hard to celebrate and express gratitude, the book of Lamentations shows us that we need time to grieve. There is terrible suffering in life – a fact that none of us should ignore. But even as we grieve, we can have hope because of the Lord’s enduring love and faithfulness. For that, we can give thanks.

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Another passage that many may not consider for holiday reading is Habakkuk. This prophet’s book focused on God’s divine power in bringing justice. He prophesied about God’s judgment against Judah, but also the destruction of Babylon – the empire that would attack Judah. Finding comfort in the justice God would bring, Habakkuk ended the book with a song.

These were the words he penned: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

We need this reminder today, especially during a holiday that is focused on blessings. Unlike the world’s emphasis on being thankful only when situations are going well, the Bible shows us that we can rejoice and give thanks even in difficult times. Habakkuk faced the lack of food and loss of crops and livestock, but he acknowledged that he could still find joy in the Lord, who was his strength (Habakkuk 3:18-19).

Circumstances in life may not always go well. Yet, even then, we can take heart and rejoice in the Lord. He is our good Savior, no matter what happens.

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The fifth chapter of Ephesians includes many different instructions for believers. After encouraging the Ephesian Christians to live as children of light, the Apostle Paul told them to not live unwisely, getting drunk on wine (Ephesians 5:15-18). Instead, they were to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

How could they know they were filled with the light of the Spirit instead of the darkness of the world? Paul connected being Spirit-filled with “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20). Praise and thankfulness are marks of a Spirit-filled life that brings honor to the Father and Son.

Because of what God has done for us, we can always thank Him, regardless of what we experience. One way we can do this during Thanksgiving, according to this verse, is to sing praises to the Lord. We can gather with family and friends to thank God for His grace and giving us new life.

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During Thanksgiving preparations, our mindset can often become one of fretfulness and anxiety. Worrying about the dinner, seating plans, and the guest list can drown out thoughts about being thankful. Yet gratitude is what Thanksgiving is all about.

The verses in Philippians 4:6-7 provide us with a reminder that can reorient our thoughts. As Paul told the Christians in Phillipi, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Instead of being anxious over preparations, this passage tells us to pray and give thanks. Then we will have the peace that comes from God.

Allowing worry to drive us to the Lord in prayer is a better way to spend our time. For as Jesus said, worrying does not add anything to our lives (Matthew 6:27). Let us instead give our concerns to the Lord and thank Him. He has been faithful in the past and will continue to be faithful in the future. And that is a truth in which we can find rest and peace.

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The holiday season is a strategic time to start cultivating habits of gratitude that will continue beyond the celebrations. One verse that we can meditate on and memorize is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which shows us that giving thanks is something that should be done every day, not just on Thanksgiving.

In this verse, we read, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Gratitude is not only good for our well-being, it is part of God’s will for us. We are redeemed people who have been rescued by the blood of Christ. Since we have been given eternal life through Jesus, our lives should display thankfulness.

As we think about this verse, we need to remember that giving thanks in all circumstances is not about ignoring the reality of hardships. Paul encountered numerous difficulties and persecutions throughout his ministry. Like him, we can praise Jesus regardless of what situations we face.

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Out of all the blessings in life, the greatest one we have as believers is the gift of salvation. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have new life and the promise of a wonderful future with the Lord forever. For this we should be exceedingly glad and grateful.

Peter expressed this in his epistle: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

The Amplified Bible clarifies that blessing God means that He is “gratefully praised and adored” (1 Peter 1:3). Praising God with gratitude in our hearts is what we should do considering that our Lord has given us an inheritance that can never fade or spoil. Our hope is not on a whim. Rather, we have a “living hope” because we have a Savior who died, rose to life, and is alive forevermore.

May we allow these truths to transform how we approach Thanksgiving. We are not only giving thanks for the blessings of food and family, home and happiness, but also for the solid hope we have in the living Lord Jesus. Let us praise Him.

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