What does the Bible say about Giving Thanks?

November 13, 2024

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday where friends and family share fellowship, fun, and good food. But how did this holiday begin? And what does the Bible say about giving thanks?

In 1620, a group of people we call the Pilgrims, came over the Atlantic Ocean to the new world in search of better economic prospects. They made land in November of 1620, and established Plymouth colony in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. During their first winter, forty-five of the one-hundred and two pilgrims died. During 1621, the pilgrims learned much about living off of the land from Native Americans; and in the fall they had a good harvest. They celebrated the harvest with a fall feast.

During the early years after America won the revolutionary war, several presidents declared days of Thanksgiving: these include George Washington, John Adams and James Madison. In the middle of the civil war, president Lincoln proclaimed a national thanksgiving day on the last Thursday of November in the year 1863. In 1870, president Grant made Thanksgiving an official federal holiday. In 1941, the United States Congress passed a bill fixing Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November of each year and president Roosevelt signed it into law.

The Bible is full of verses that tell us to give thanks, here’s just a few of them.

1 Chronicles 16:34: O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 

Psalm 18:49: Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

Psalm 92:1: It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

Psalm 97:12: Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Psalm 107:1: O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Ephesians 1:16: Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

Philemon 1:4: I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,

Daniel also gives thanks in this year’s NBBC study passage. It was after Darius the Median became king, when he was tricked into signing the decree that no man should worship anything but him for 30 days, that Daniel went into his house, and prayed, and gave thanks to God. Of course this ended with him being thrown into the lion’s den. But even in the lion’s den, God was with him because he was faithful and continued to pray and give thanks. 

We can see that God wants us to be grateful for what we have, and not just on Thanksgiving. We need to count our blessings each and every day. Not only does it glorify God, but being thankful is very helpful in keeping a positive outlook on life. But as this year’s Thanksgiving approaches, I urge you to take some extra time each day to think about everything that you are thankful for.

Written by NBB Alumnus: Philip Minica

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