No matter what you face during this holiday season, you can find encouragement through praise and thanksgiving by honoring God for His goodness and blessings. He is worthy of continual praise, but we must be intentional about offering thanksgiving to Him on a daily basis. Praise and thanksgiving also release POWER—power to overcome the devil, power to bring God on the scene, and power to see victory.
In the Bible, we see praise and thanksgiving opening prison doors (Acts 16:16), delivering God’s people from their enemies (2 Chronicles 20:25-30), and bringing God on the scene (Psalm 22:3).
Praise and thanksgiving even cause you to grow stronger. For example, Abraham “…grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God” (Romans 4:20, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition). As you praise God and speak of His marvelous works, your faith rises on the inside of you to receive His blessings.
This Thanksgiving, take time to stop and reflect on the goodness of God and meditate on His blessings and kindness to you. Use these 17 scriptures* for Thanksgiving Day as a conversation starter at the dinner table, to inspire your family to talk about the marvelous things God has done for you this year. Then, tuck them in your Bible and use them as a reminder throughout the year to stir up your faith and bring you closer to God.
1. 1 Chronicles 16:34
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
2. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14
Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
3. Psalm 7:17
I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
4. Psalm 9:1
I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
5. Psalm 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
6. Psalm 35:28
And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.
7. Psalm 95:2-3
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods.
8. Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
9. Psalm 107:8-9
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.
10. Psalm 150:2
Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
11. Psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
12. Isaiah 12:4
Praise the Lord, call upon His name; declare His deeds among the peoples, make mention that His name is exalted.
13. Jeremiah 20:13
Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
14. Jeremiah 30:19
Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
15. 2 Corinthians 4:15
For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
16. Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
17. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
When you meditate on these 17 scriptures for Thanksgiving Day, you will renew your mind to focus on the goodness of God, grow your faith, and be in position to receive from Him. No matter what is happening in your life today, keep praising Him—it’s the key to your next miracle.
Watch as Kenneth and Gloria Copeland teach how faith works in a grateful heart:
*All verses taken from the New King James Version