Welcome to the first in our gratitude series! I am so excited! I thought we’d start with a good base. What does the Bible say about thanksgiving?

And you all realize I’m not talking about the pilgrims and Indians Thanksgiving, right? I’m talking about real, from your heart, gratitude to our Lord and Creator.

What are the Benefits of Thanksgiving?

My goal with this life of gratitude series is to help you see what you have to be thankful for in your everyday life. My mom always says, “you woke up this morning, didn’t you?” and that alone should be enough to put your thoughts in the right direction.

I woke up with the absence of my daughter. That realization makes my heart overflow with gratitude for my four boys, whom I couldn’t wait to put to bed last night. The constant motion and activity can be a bit much sometimes!

This is off-topic, but why on earth don’t boys sit??

Ok, enough about my kids, what are the benefits of thanksgiving?

• Contentment
• Better attitude
• Peace
• Closer relationship with God
• Joy

Bible Verses about Giving Thanks

One of my favorite Bible verses about giving thanks is Psalm 100. David, penned beautiful words of praise and thanksgiving. We tend to remember David as the brave boy who killed a giant, but David went through a lot in his life.

He ran away from King Saul who hunted him down and tried to kill him. David’s son turns against him and tries to steal the kingdom. His sin with Beth Sheba leads to the death of a child.

Yet he sings this psalm of praise and thanksgiving.

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
² Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
³ Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations. (Psalm 100 NKJV)

What beautiful Bible verses about thanksgiving! “know that the Lord, He is God” and “We are the sheep of His pasture”. David knew that the Lord was His creator and loving Shepherd. During all the trials and difficulties of life, those facts remain true.

Do you want to study gratitude in the Bible while growing your faith and recognizing your blessings? Click image below to check out this 20 day gratitude journal!

Why do We Thank God?

Why do we thank God? “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”

We thank God because He is good. He alone is good.

We thank God because his mercy is everlasting. The same mercy He showed to the wicked city of Ninevah when Jonah preached repentance. The mercy He showed to the Children of Israel when they worshipped a false god after their miraculous deliverance from bondage in Egypt.

More importantly, the same mercy He showed us when His son bore our sins on the cross and died our death.

What is Thanksgiving to God?

David understood God’s mercy in a way we all need to embrace. When struggling with gratitude in the humdrum occurrences of everyday life, remember the mercy God has poured upon you that you might not be condemned to eternal death.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
² Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
³ Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever: (Psalm 136:1-3)

What Does the Bible Say about Thanksgiving: Praising God in All Circumstances

Praising God in all circumstances is not something that comes naturally to us. I think human nature tends to make us look at what we don’t have rather than what we do. The whole “grass is always greener on the other side” concept.

We also struggle when our plans take an expected turn and we are left reeling.

But what does the Bible say about thanksgiving? That we only express gratitude when life is good?

Of course not 😉

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

In everything give thanks, not just when life is going good.

Paul talks about learning to be content in all of his circumstances. I think about these verses often.

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

Whether he was hungry or full, suffering or in good health, Paul was content.

Why?

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Paul understood that he was not alone (just like David understood this when he uses the shepherd illustration).

Perhaps one aspect of learning to praise God in all circumstances is believing that we are never alone.

Wendy from One Exceptional Life has great posts about how God has helped her through many negative obstacles in life. She also has an amazing toolkit to help you grow your faith and find your attitude of gratitude!

What does the Bible Say about Thanksgiving?

Seriously, I am so excited about this series! I feel as if we have barely touched on what the bible says about thanksgiving. There are so many more verses to discuss.

I pray you are blessed with these verses no matter what circumstances your life has brought you. Are you ready to embrace a life of gratitude with me??

You might also like these posts!

God Provides a Time for Every Season: Why this should Bring Us Comfort

3 Bible Stories about Gratitude to Encourage a Grateful Heart