Blogger: Rachel Kent
As Thanksgiving approaches, I thought it would be nice for us to share some of our favorite Bible verses about being thankful and giving thanks. Sometimes it is hard to be thankful to God when we can’t see the big picture of why we are going through the bad things in life, but we are called to give thanks in all circumstances–regardless of how many rejections we get or how much work we put into something without any visible reward or benefit. And we all know that the publishing-world disappointments are only the tip of the iceberg of the kinds of hurts we can experience in life. I hope these verses are encouraging to you!
Here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving verses:
Psalm 95:1-3 (NIV): Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
1 Chronicles 16:31-34 (NIV): Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!” Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 28:7 (NIV): 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.
Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV): And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV): Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV): Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV): Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Is one or more of these verses a favorite of yours?
Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving Bible verse that is not on this list? Please share!
Thank you, Rachel.
Lord, I’m thankful for this Books & Such gathering place, for the wisdom and support of the agents, and for the free, courteous and funny exchange of ideas that plays out here. Thank you for this wonderful circle of reading and writing friends! Amen.
Amen! SO thankful for all of you!
2 Chronicles 20:21 “Give thanks to the LORD, for his faithful love endures forever.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
<3
As I thank God for friends and family, near and far, and as I thank God for those who have gone on to be with Him –
I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3
Love this verse!
I love Psalm 16:2 … doesn’t use the word “thanks” … but it says it. 🙂
“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'”
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
A great one to add to the list!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle,
my fingers for war…
* PS. 144, and I have nothing else. Every hour is coming down to this now.
The angel army of the Lord encamps round about you, Andrew. As does the army of your friends.
Thank you, Shirlee…that means a lot right now.
* I used pretty much all I had to get two very short ebooks up and running, “Faith in the Night”, and “Angela – A New Mexico Christmas”. (If anyone’s interested, they’s on Kindle (99 cents each), but if you drop by my blog you can get my email and I’dd send a PDF.)
* It’s funny; the more writing hurts, but physically and emotionally, the better I feel about the end product. Does anyone else share this?
Thank you for letting us know, Andrew. Got them!! 🙂
He is our rock and our salvation!
Great verse. I’m so glad we have a God who is with us through everything.
“I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved” (Ps. 16:8). For the apparent contradiction in this verse, I am grateful. Who but God could be ahead of me, leading me, and right beside me at the same time? He’s got this.
I reckon a tripartite God can cover a lot of ground!
I’m so glad He’s not limited.
Great one! What an image this verse creates.
Thank you, Rachel, for sharing these encouraging verses. I read Psalm 100 this morning and here is my micro-poem in response to it:
Thanksgiving is our key
to open the gate of joy
that we may step into His court
singing praises forevermore.
I’ve just given you a preview of tomorrow’s Facebook post on my writer page. 🙂 Now I’ll skedaddle back to my NaNoWriMo writing.
Thanksgiving Blessings ~ Wendy
Wonderful poem! I love the idea of writing poetry in response to scripture.
I love Psalm 100. I memorized it as a child and have never forgotten it. 🙂
Amazing, this was our family’s Bible verse this week…um month…Ok it is taking us awhile to memorize it, but it is a good one, especially with 3 boys arguing over who stepped on whose Lego creation.
Colossians 3:15–“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. An be thankful.”
The thankful part almost seems tacked on at the end, but I think it is vital. How can Christ’s peace rule us if we are not thankful for all He had done and given and orchestrated for us and others?
🙂 Love this verse. Great for the current times in our world, too.
That thought did occur to me as well.
Beautiful. Beautiful words, reminders of what we hold dear. The life of faith is full of promises from God. They are rich blessings we can grasp and hold close to our hearts at all times but especially during the dark days of suffering. Thanks, Rachel, for sharing these verses with this online community.
Thank you!
Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Yes, it is good to be thankful! Thank you for the list of verses, Rachel. Here’s one of my favorite verses: “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” James 1:17
One of my all time favorites is Psalm 139:1-10
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.