Top 10 Bible Verses for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a wonderful autumn holiday, when we gather with those we love to share fine food and fellowship, as well as our appreciation for the many blessings in our lives.

What treasured Bible verses are most appropriate for sharing at Thanksgiving?

Here are our top 10 favorite Bible verses for Thanksgiving cards and greetings.

These verses are listed here in biblical order, with reference links leading to online Bible/s for context and further study. (In some instances, links are provided to worship choruses and songs containing the Scriptures listed here - or other closely related Bible passages.)

Thanksgiving to God

"Yours, O Lord,
is the greatness, the power,
the glory, the victory,
and the majesty.
Everything in the heavens
and on earth is Yours,
O Lord,
and this is Your kingdom.
We adore You
as the One who is over all things.
Wealth and honor come from You alone,
for You rule over everything.
Power and might are in Your hand,
and at Your discretion
people are made great and given strength.
O our God,
we thank You
and praise Your glorious name!"
(1 Chronicles 29:11-13, NLT)

Thanksgiving is a wonderful occasion for recalling and recounting how everything good comes from God. The Creator of the world and the Giver of Life itself warrants our worship. As this Bible passage clearly spells out, may we give God glory and honor on Thanksgiving and every day.

Thanksgiving for God-Given Joys

"You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;
You have put off my sackcloth
and girded me with gladness,
To the end that my tongue
and my heart
and everything glorious within me
may sing praise to You
and not be silent.
O Lord my God,
I will give thanks to You forever."
(Psalm 30:11-12, AMP)

This favorite Scripture resounds with rejoicing and thanksgiving to the Lord, who can redeem our sorrows and truly transform mourning into dancing. Does such a great God not deserve our appreciation, at Thanksgiving and always?

A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

"He who offers
a sacrifice of thanksgiving
honors Me;
And to him who orders his way aright
I shall show the salvation of God."
(Psalm 50:23, NASB)

This oft-quoted Scripture points out how Thanksgiving is actually a sacrifice of praise to God. As we carve our Thanksgiving turkeys, may we stop to honor the One from whom all blessings come.

Thanksgiving and Gladness to God

"It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name,
O Most High,
to proclaim Your love in the morning
and Your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
For You make me glad by your deeds, O Lord;
I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
How great are Your works, O Lord,
how profound Your thoughts!"
(Psalm 92:1-5, NIV)

What a wonderful Bible passage for Thanksgiving. Will we not desire to shout to the Lord in gratitude for the great God that He is and the works He has done in our lives?

Worship with Thanksgiving

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand."
(Psalm 95:6-7, NKJV)

This Bible passage offers a call to worship and bow down before the Lord with thanksgiving - for who He is and how He cares for His own. What apt advice for Thanksgiving, of all days.

Thanksgiving Praises

"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, KJV)

Let us make a joyful noise to the Lord, and even more so on Thanksgiving. Many children memorize Psalm 100 in Bible classes or Sunday school. Whether you recall this favorite Bible Psalm from rote learning, traditional hymns or modern worship choruses, it truly deserves memorization. What a wonderful Psalm for our wonderful God.

Thanksgiving to the Great and Faithful One

"Because of the Lord's great love
we are not consumed,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
I say to myself,
'The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for Him.'
The Lord is good
to those whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord."
(Lamentations 3:22-26, NIV)

Great is the faithfulness of the Lord God - at Thanksgiving and throughout every day of our lives. These beautiful Old Testament lines exhort us to honor Jehovah God for His constant faithfulness and His great grace, which is new and abundant every day.

Thanksgiving for Christ

"Each one of you is part of the body of Christ,
and you were chosen to live together in peace.
So let the peace that comes from Christ
control your thoughts.
And be grateful.
Let the message about Christ
completely fill your lives,
while you use all your wisdom
to teach and instruct each other.
With thankful hearts,
sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
Whatever you say or do
should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus,
as you give thanks to God the Father
because of Him."
(Colossians 3:15-17, CEV)

What Thanksgiving is complete, for the Christian believer, without praising the name of Jesus? This Bible verse refocuses readers on the reason for joy, thankfulness and the meaning of life. Every expression of appreciation and everything that we appreciate may be rooted in the matchless name of the Holy One and His glorious Son.

Thanksgiving No Matter What

Give thanks no matter what happens.
God wants you to thank Him
because you believe in Christ Jesus."
(1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIrV)

Many folks face difficult times at Thanksgiving. Sickness, physical pain, unemployment, financial worries, relationship problems and other concerns may make thankfulness feel somewhat remote. But this Bible verse admonishes us to thank God anyway. Can we examine our lives and find unnamed blessings that lead to gratitude, and will we bring praise the Lord for His daily care?

Thanksgiving for God's Gifts

"Everything God created is good,
and to be received with thanks.
Nothing is to be sneered at and thrown out.
God's Word and our prayers
make every item in creation holy."
(1 Timothy 4:4-5, MSG)

What good gifts has God given to us? For what can we be grateful at Thanksgiving this year? This Scripture passage reminds us that God makes all things good, and that we ought to praise Him for what He has made. These verses are also an exhortation to pray before we dig into our Thanksgiving turkey, as our prayers may dedicate our Thanksgiving gatherings to God's own glory.

Select Your Favorite Bible Verses.

Perhaps you will choose to share other special Thanksgiving Bible verses or applicable Scripture texts. A Bible concordance or online Bible search site can help you to locate additional appropriate Scriptures.

How to Use Special Scriptures for Thanksgiving

Why not print several Thanksgiving Scriptures on cardstock to make individual Bible cards for your holiday table place settings? You might also decide to create Bible verse magnets, Scripture bookmarks or laminated Bible promise bookmarks as place cards for your Thanksgiving table.

However you decide to present Thanksgiving Bible verses, your guests may be both affirmed and encouraged by the biblical reminders of gratitude to God.

Abbreviations of Scripture Translations Used:

AMP = The Amplified Bible (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation).
CEV = Contemporary English Version (Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society).
KJV = King James Version (Public Domain)
MSG = The Message (Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson).
NASB = New American Standard Version (Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation).
NIRV = New International Readers Version (Copyright © 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society).
NIV = New International Version (Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society).
NLT = New Living Translation (Copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.).