32 Bible Verses About Gratitude and Thanksgiving

Gratitude sounds simple until life gets complicated. It is easy to say thank you when everyone is well. It is much harder when the diagnosis comes or the job ends.

The Bible does not treat thankfulness as a mood that arrives when things go our way. It treats it as a response to who God is. Again and again Scripture calls God's people to give thanks, not because every circumstance is good, but because the LORD is.

Below are 32 Bible verses about gratitude and thanksgiving, grouped by the situation you might be in. Each group has a short explanation, most close with a prayer, and at the end you'll find a simple gratitude habit for this week.

Why the Bible keeps saying "give thanks"

If you only memorise one verse on this page, make it this one. It is the verse many people are searching for when they look up "give thanks in all circumstances."

Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (KJV)

Notice what Paul does and doesn't say. He says "in every thing," not "for every thing." We are not asked to thank God for cancer or cruelty. We are asked to keep giving thanks in the middle of them, because God is still present and still good. And this, Paul says plainly, "is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

The reason for thanksgiving is given over and over in the Psalms:

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 107:1 (KJV)

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 136:1 (KJV)

Psalm 136 repeats "for his mercy endureth for ever" in every one of its 26 verses. Gratitude in the Bible rests on that foundation. Circumstances shift, but His mercy endures.

Thankful in hard times

Some of the most powerful thanksgiving in Scripture comes from people in real trouble.

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk 3:17–18 (KJV)

And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job 1:21 (KJV)

Habakkuk pictures total economic collapse: no figs, no olives, no crops, no flocks. Yet he says, "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD." His joy is not in the harvest. It is in "the God of my salvation." (We look at the next verse, Habakkuk 3:19, in our Bible verses about strength.)

Job spoke his words on the day he lost his children and his wealth. He tore his robe and fell to the ground. His grief was real. But he still worshipped. Thankfulness in hard times is not pretending you aren't hurting. It is trusting God while you hurt.

Thankful for salvation

The deepest reason a Christian has to be grateful is not anything we own. It is what God has done for us in Jesus.

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15 (KJV)

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJV)

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Colossians 1:12 (KJV)

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Psalm 103:2 (KJV)

"Unspeakable" means a gift so great that words cannot fully describe it. Paul is thinking of Christ Himself. In 1 Corinthians 15, the victory is over sin and death, won by the risen Christ.

Colossians 1:12 uses an old word, "meet," which simply means fit or qualified. We did not make ourselves fit for heaven. The Father did, through His Son (Colossians 1:13–14).

Psalm 103:2 adds a very human warning: "forget not." We are forgetful people. Gratitude is often just remembering on purpose.

The one who came back: the ten lepers

Luke 17:11–19 tells one of the Bible's clearest stories about gratitude. Ten men with leprosy called to Jesus from a distance, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." He told them to go and show themselves to the priests, and as they went, they were cleansed. Then this happened:

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

And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:15–19 (KJV)

All ten received the same miracle. Only one turned back. And he was the outsider, a Samaritan, the man least expected to know how to worship.

The Greek word translated "giving him thanks" in verse 16 is eucharisteō, from the same family of words as "Eucharist." The Blue Letter Bible lexicon defines it as being grateful and expressing that gratitude; it is also the word used when Jesus "gave thanks" over bread.

Matthew Henry, in his commentary on Luke 17, observes that ingratitude is common, and that of those who receive mercies from God, scarcely one in ten returns thanks in a right manner. Most of us are not ungrateful on purpose. We simply move on. Jesus' question, "where are the nine?", invites us to turn back.

Everyday thanks

Scripture also invites us to notice God's goodness in ordinary days.

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

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100:1–5 (KJV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17 (KJV)

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

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

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Colossians 3:15–17 (KJV)

In the KJV, Psalm 100 carries the title "A Psalm of praise." "All ye lands" invites the whole earth, and verse 3 gives the reason: God made us, and we belong to Him like sheep to a shepherd.

James 1:17 reminds us where every good thing comes from: a warm meal, a friend's text, a night's sleep. And the Giver does not change.

Colossians 3 links thankfulness with peace, with Scripture, with singing and with ordinary work. "Whatsoever ye do" covers washing up, commuting and caring for children. Thankfulness grows in ordinary places.

At the table and in the Thanksgiving season

Many readers in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving Day later this month, and Canadians gave thanks in October. Wherever you live, harvest festivals and family meals are a natural reminder that every meal is a gift.

When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

Deuteronomy 8:10 (KJV)

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

John 6:11 (KJV)

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 4:4–5 (KJV)

Moses warned Israel that when they were full, they would be tempted to forget God and think they had provided for themselves (Deuteronomy 8:17). Thanks after a meal guards against that pride.

In John 6, Jesus Himself gave thanks before feeding the five thousand. Saying grace is not a ritual to earn more food. It is following our Lord, who received a small lunch with thanks.

Thanks with prayer instead of worry

The best-known verse about worry in the New Testament has thanksgiving built right into it.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6–7 (KJV)

"Be careful for nothing" means "don't be anxious about anything." Paul doesn't just say "stop worrying." He gives us something to do instead: pray, ask and give thanks. Thanks reminds us of God's past faithfulness as we bring today's need. The promise is peace, not that every request will be granted as we ask. For more on this passage, see our Bible verses about anxiety.

A gratitude habit for this week

Reading about thankfulness is a start; practising it changes the heart. Try this for seven days.

• Keep a Scripture gratitude journal. Each evening, write down three specific things you are thankful for (not "my family," but "my daughter's laugh at dinner"). Add one verse from this page beside them.
• Pray Psalm 100 each morning. Read it aloud before you check your phone. Then turn each line into a prayer: "Lord, You made me, and I am Yours. I come into this day with thanks." If words feel hard, our guide on how to pray when you don't know what to say can help.
• Say grace at every meal, using the table grace above or your own words.
• Turn one worry into thanks. Each time something worries you, pray Philippians 4:6: name the worry, then name one thing you are thankful for.
• Memorise 1 Thessalonians 5:18. It is short enough to learn in a day.

For a fresh verse and prayer each day, visit our Today page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Bible verse about gratitude?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 is the most widely quoted: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Psalm 107:1 and Psalm 100:4 are also much loved.

What does "give thanks in all circumstances" mean?

It is the modern wording of 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which the KJV renders "In every thing give thanks." It means giving thanks to God in every situation, not necessarily for every situation. Even in pain, we can thank God for His presence and mercy.

What is a Bible verse about thanksgiving for Thanksgiving Day?

Psalm 100 is a favourite for Thanksgiving gatherings, especially verse 4: "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise." Psalm 136:1 and Deuteronomy 8:10 also fit a harvest or family meal well.

What does the story of the ten lepers teach about gratitude?

In Luke 17:11–19, Jesus healed ten men, but only one, a Samaritan, came back to thank Him. Jesus asked, "where are the nine?" The story teaches that receiving God's blessing and thanking Him for it are not the same thing, and it calls us to turn back and give glory to God.

How can I be more grateful as a Christian?

Start small and be consistent: thank God for specific gifts each day, pray Psalm 100, say grace at meals and remember what Christ has done for you. Our 30-day reading plan is a simple place to begin.