30 Powerful Psalms of Thanksgiving

Psalms of Thanksgiving are for any time of year! Although we happen to start searching for them near November, they are written throughout the Psalms and serve a great purpose. There is no better way to give thanks for what God has done through His own words.

Thanksgiving verses are also great verses to teach our kids as well. If they start learning them and memorizing them when they are young, they will grow up with these words of Thanksgiving in their heart. It is a great way to foster faith.

What are the Psalms of Thanksgiving?

Psalms of Thanksgiving are passages from Psalms that specifically thank God for what He has done. Sometimes these include victories that God has won, answered prayers, and more.

If you are looking for ways to thank God for all of the ways that He has shown up in your life, Psalms of Thanksgiving is a great resource.

What are the 7 types of Psalms?

There are 7 types of Psalms that occur throughout the 150 Psalms in the Old Testament. They are:

Psalms of Praise
Psalms of Lament
Psalms of Thanksgiving
Psalms of Confidence
Psalms of Kingship
Psalms of Remembrance
Psalms of Wisdom

Psalms of Praise and Psalms of Thanksgiving are very close, but hold one difference between the two. Psalms of Praise are normally generally praise and worship of our God, while thanksgiving gives specific praises for what God has done for us.

How many Psalms of Thanksgiving are there?

Most Biblical scholars state that there are 36 Psalms of Thanksgiving in 24 different books. However, it is hard to distinctively identify those as there are thanks and praises to God woven throughout the Psalms, which is a good thing!

Psalms of Thanksgiving

In this section, is a scripture reference list of full-length Psalms about thanksgiving. However, in the next section, we will look at specific Thanksgiving verses. All these Psalms listed are complete Psalms dedicated to giving thanks to our God above.

Psalm 16
Psalm 18
Psalm 28
Psalm 30
Psalm 34
Psalm 40
Psalm 44
Psalm 57
Psalm 89
Psalm 92
Psalm 95
Psalm 100
Psalm 111
Psalm 136
Psalm 118
Psalm 138
Psalm 145

Thanksgiving Verses From Psalms of Thanksgiving

Note: All Thanksgiving verses are from NIV unless otherwise stated.

Psalm 7:17

“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”

Psalm 9:1

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

This is a great Psalm for Thanksgiving as it reminds us that we need to be what I call “wholefully thankful.” It is one thing to be thankful to God, but it is another to thank Him for ALL of His wonderful deeds.

Psalm 28:7

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song, I give thanks to him.”

Psalm 30:4

“Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.”

Psalm 31:9

“Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!”

Psalm 34:2-8

“Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Psalm 35:18

“I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.”

Psalm 50:14

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High.”

Psalm 50:23

“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

Psalm 56:3-4

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you, In God, whose word I praise- in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

Psalm 69:30

“But as for me, afflicted and in pain—may your salvation, God, protect me. I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.”

Psalm 75:1

“We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.”

Psalm 89:1-2

“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.”

Psalm 95:2

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”

Psalm 100:1-5

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalm 103:1-5

“Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Psalm 106:47

“Save us, Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.”

Psalm 107:1

“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

This passage is also in Psalm 106:1, Psalm 118:1, and Psalm 136:1. Other Psalms include the phrase “His love endures forever.” If the Bible repeats something, we know how important it is. His love goes on forever; it has no end. If we thank God for nothing else, let us thank God for the precious gift of His love.

Psalm 107:15

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.”

Psalm 113

“Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised! The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!”

Although a bit long, I have the entire Psalm 113 above due to the literary writing of this Psalm. Bracket writing was common in writing the Psalms, where it would be very similar at the beginning and the end.

The purpose of this was to give importance to what was in the middle. For example, this Psalm starts with “Praise the LORD!” and ends with it as well. The author wanted the reader to truly focus on all the ways to praise the Lord (or to give Thanksgiving) in the in-between.

Psalm 116:12

“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?”

Psalm 116:17

“I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.”

We tend to think of sacrifice differently in this century than the original author of the Psalms. To sacrifice something to God was an honor. So even if we don’t feel thankful, let us be honored that we are able to give thanks to God for what He has done.

Psalm 118:19

“Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.”

Psalm 136:4-5

“To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. Who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.”

As stated above, the idea of God’s enduring love is a theme throughout Psalms. This Psalm is a great Psalm to pray when you want a prayer of thanksgiving because after each passage it finishes with, “His love endures forever.” What a reminder!

Psalm 138:1-2

“I thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I sing praise to you before the gods. I face your holy Temple, bow down, and praise your name because of your constant love and faithfulness, because you have shown that your name and your commands are supreme.”

What I love about Psalms of Thanksgiving versus Psalms of praise is that the Thanksgiving verses give specifics of why we should be thanking our God. Psalm 138:1-2 is a great example of that. God has shown His people repeatedly that His name is supreme. It is well over 2000 years later and His name is still supreme!

Psalm 143:8

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

Psalm 145:5

“They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty and I will meditate on your wonderful works.”

If you are looking for an amazing Psalm for Thanksgiving, this whole Psalm is reflective of being thankful for God’s glorious works. This verse stood out to me the most, but please feel free to reflect on the entire Psalm 145 here.

Psalm 147:7-8

“Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.”

Psalm 147:10-11

“His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.”

What is the best prayer for Thanksgiving?

The best prayer for Thanksgiving is one that is personal and truly thankful. It is easy for us to go through the motions of prayer, but God knows our heart.

A great way to pray these Thanksgiving Psalms is to try this 5-step method:

Read the verse.
Ask God to reveal Himself to you and how He wants you to apply the verse in your life.
Sit quietly, listening for His response.
Write out anything that you may be feeling.
Pray to God and thank Him for what He has done.

How to write a Psalm of Thanksgiving

The Bible has 150 incredible Psalms for every moment of time. Yet, it is just the beginning. As you pray to God, you can write your own Psalms too!

A great way to write a Psalm of Thanksgiving is as follows:

Write a summary of how God has helped you
Explain a time in your life when you were facing an issue or problem
How did you ask God for help?
How did God solve the problem?
Thank God for how He helped!

This is a great habit to get into when God answers our prayers to remember the good He has done in our lives.

Final Thoughts

We know how great our God is, but when we read these Psalms of Thanksgiving, His power and majesty come alive! Let us remember all that He has done for us and thank Him every day throughout the entire year.

Written by: Jessie Synan from praywithconfidence.com

More Bible Resources

What is your favorite psalms of thanksgiving?

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