Bible Verses About Gratitude and Thankfulness
Gratitude in scripture is less a feeling to wait for and more a practice to keep: "in every thing give thanks," not "for every good thing." It runs through the Psalms as a discipline, through Paul's letters as an instruction, and it consistently changes how the person praying sees their situation. These are the verses read on Thanksgiving, at the start of a service, in a season that has been more taking than giving. Keep the one that reframes your day.
Scripture on gratitude
King James Version. The same wording Holy Root serves by default.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
"In every thing," not "for every thing": thanks offered within a circumstance, not necessarily because of it. It is named plainly as God's will.
Psalm 100:4
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
Thanksgiving as the way in: the posture you arrive with, before anything is asked for.
Psalm 107:1
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
The reason for thanks is fixed in God's goodness and lasting mercy, so it does not rise and fall with the week.
Colossians 3:15
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
Thankfulness set right next to peace, as though the two travel together.
Philippians 4:6
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Thanksgiving is built into the instruction against anxiety: the requests are made "with thanksgiving," not instead of it.
James 1:17
“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.”
It traces every good thing back to one unchanging source, which is what gratitude is, done honestly.
Psalm 118:24
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
The day itself is the gift. Gladness here is a decision about today, whatever today contains.
1 Chronicles 16:34
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Sung when the ark was brought to Jerusalem: thanksgiving as a communal act, not only a private one.
Ephesians 5:20
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
"Always" and "all things" set the widest possible scope, which makes gratitude a habit rather than an occasion.
Psalm 103:2
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
"Forget not" frames gratitude as a memory problem. The instruction is to keep recounting what has already been given.
2 Corinthians 9:15
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
A single sentence. Some gratitude is too large to itemise.
People also ask
What does the Bible say about being thankful?
1 Thessalonians 5:18 is the core verse: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." The Bible treats gratitude as an instruction and a practice, not a mood to wait for, and notes that it is thanks "in" every circumstance, not necessarily "for" it.
What is a good Bible verse for Thanksgiving?
Psalm 100 ("Enter into his gates with thanksgiving"), Psalm 107:1 ("O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good"), and 1 Chronicles 16:34 are the traditional Thanksgiving readings. Psalm 118:24 is often used to open a gathering.
How does gratitude relate to anxiety in the Bible?
Philippians 4:6 links them directly: requests are to be made known to God "with thanksgiving." Thanks is built into the antidote for anxiety, a way of remembering what is already true before asking for what is not yet.
Related topics
More verses gathered by the moment they meet:
Or browse the full list of topics.