I’ll never forget one time my mother and I were sitting in an Italian restaurant and there was a sign that said “There is always always always something to be thankful for.” I read the sign out loud and my mom, not knowing that I was reading, said without thinking, “Amen!”

That phrase has now become an inside joke in my family. And even though those words always make us laugh, there is truth in them. In every season, there is something to thank God for. Even in hard times, we can remain grateful knowing trials build our character and trust in Jesus.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” | 1 Chronicles 16:34 NLT

We can find strength in thanking God for who He is and what He’s done. Psalms is a great place to start because it points to God’s goodness. Here are five reasons we can pause to give Him thanks today.

1.) Thank God for being…God.

The easy part about thanking God is that we can simply thank Him for who he is! He is holy and worthy of our praise and gratitude.

“Blessed be the name of the Lord

now and forever.

Everywhere—from east to west—

praise the name of the Lord.

For the Lord is high above the nations;

his glory is higher than the heavens.

Who can be compared with the Lord our God,

who is enthroned on high?” | Psalm 113:2-5 (NLT)

2.) Thank God for saving us.

The whole beautiful point of the gospel is that God thought that we were worth saving.

“Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,

and I will go in and thank the Lord.

These gates lead to the presence of the Lord,

and the godly enter there.

I thank you for answering my prayer

and giving me victory!

The stone that the builders rejected

has now become the cornerstone.” | Psalm 118:19-22 (NLT)

3.) Thank God for a new day.

I love that God gave us day and night. This is a great symbol of starting over again. Even when we fail, God gives us a tomorrow.

“This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.” | Psalm 118:24 (NLT)

4.) Thank God for answering prayers.

When we pray, God listens! Even if his answer doesn’t come when we expect or want it to, He has a plan and Scripture tells us Jesus himself intercedes on our behalf!

“Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;

let us exalt his name together.

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.

He freed me from all my fears.” | Psalm 34:3-4 (NLT)

5.) Thank God for His Word.

The Word of God remains forever. And in His word are a lot of promises that lift us up and give us hope.

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet

and a light for my path.” | Psalm 119:105 (NLT)

This list could go on and on. I remember learning an acronym in elementary school about giving thanks and I’ll share it here.

T – Thank others.

H – Help others.

A – Appreciate what you have.

N – Notice your blessings.

K – Know your gifts.

S – Serve others.

So, take time to give thanks. Acknowledge the bad, but look for and live in the good. I’ll lead by example by saying, thank you for reading this blog! 😉

30 Verses on Thankfulness