97+ Bible Verses & Scriptures About Being Thankful ⋆ Love Our Real Life

Sometimes it can be challenging to really appreciate all of the blessings in our lives. We should remember that we have much to be thankful for! The Bible shows us many scriptures that can help guide us on how to be thankful.

No doubt, life has been hard for many, especially in the past couple of years. Take a moment to reflect on all of the positives (people, circumstances, things, etc.) in your life. A change in perspective can make all the difference in attitude, at least that’s true for me.

Pink Holy Bible NIV version on glass tabletop.

Get more ideas for fall as well as inspiration here.

Having a heart of gratitude can make can be a blessing to us in good times as well as hard times. Below are some of my favorite Bible verses on thanksgiving for and I am hopeful they will be a blessing to you and give us all an attitude of gratitude.

Old Testament Bible Verses

The Bible verses below are taken from the NIV version (New International Version) unless otherwise specified. I hope you enjoy theses scriptures on thankfulness and gratitude as much as I do.

Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)

24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Ruth 2:12 (NJKV)

The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

1 Chronicles 16:34

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 29:13

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

Ezra 3:11

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Psalm 7:17

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 9:1

I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 23:1-6 (NKJV)

1 A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Psalm 35:18

I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you.

Psalm 50:14

“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,

Psalm 95:1-3 (AMPC)

1 O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!

2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!

3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 75:1 (NKJV)

We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.

Psalm 100:1 (KJV)

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Psalm 100 taken from Holy Bible NIV version.

Psalm 100:4-5

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalms 103:1-4

1 Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

Psalm 107:8-9 (NKJV)

8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Psalm 107:21-22

21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

Psalms 118:1-18

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

2 Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”

3 Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”

4 Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.”

5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place.

6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans.

9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

12 They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me.

14 The LORD is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation.

15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!

16 The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”

17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

18 The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

Psalm 119:62

At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.

Psalm 147:7

Sing to the LORD with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp.

Isaiah 12:4-5

4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.

5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.

Daniel 2:23 (KJV)

I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.

Jonah 2:9

9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.”

Daniel 6:10

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

New Testament Scriptures on Thankful

The New Testament also has many Bible verses on thankfulness. The below scriptures are taken from the NIV translation, unless otherwise specified.

Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Mark 12:30 (NKJV)

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Luke 17:15-16 (NKJV)

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 6:11

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

Romans 1:21 (NKJV)

…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2 Corinthians 2:14

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2 Corinthians 4:15-16

15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 9:15

15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Ephesians 5:18-20

8 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,

20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:3-5

3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy

5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:6-7

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,

7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Colossians 3:15-17

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

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.

Colossians 4:2

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

16 Rejoice always,

17 pray without ceasing,

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

1 Thessalonians 4-5 in Bible NIV Version.

1 Timothy 4:4-5

4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Hebrews 12:28-29

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 13:15-16

15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

James 1:17 (NKJV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Revelation 11:17

17 saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.

What Does God Say About a Thankful Heart?

According to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we are to give thanks in all circumstances.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Sometimes it is challenging to be grateful and thankful during all of life’s circumstances, but this is what God calls us to do. We will ultimately benefit from this positive attitude!

What Does the Bible Say About Being Thankful?

The Bible tells us to be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). While this is certainly not an easy task, it is necessary for our hearts.

Why Is It Important to Be Thankful?

It is important to be thankful in all areas of our lives. Being thankful with a grateful heart helps us have an attitude of kindness and understanding towards other as well as improving our overall outlook.

Whether you are reading this list of Bible verses for Thanksgiving Day or any other day of the year, I hope you find God’s love working in your life. These are not just Thanksgiving Bible verses, but scriptures from the Holy Bible we can turn to at any time!