8 Thanksgiving Prayer Points With Scriptures to Guide You
Another grey sky greeted us this morning. I went to the window and watched the raindrops cling to the spruce needles like tiny, translucent pearls. Pulling out my Bible for guidance, I began thanking God for his goodness as I prayed. In the process, God lifted my head and encouraged my heart. If this kind of prayer sounds refreshing, I invite you to join me as we explore eight thanksgiving prayer points with Scriptures to guide us.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you connect with God and cultivate gratitude.
8 Thanksgiving Prayer Points With Scriptures
As I looked out the window and prayed, I saw the rainy day through a different lens. Instead of complaining, I gave thanks for the rain and the opportunity to catch up inside the house.
Using the Bible to guide my prayers helped me focus on Christ instead of focusing on my circumstances. As a result, I felt encouraged and enlivened.
Below, you will find eight prayer points with Scriptures to guide your prayers. I encourage you to lift these prayers before the King of kings today.
Thanksgiving Prayer Points With Scriptures
1. Thank God for his love even if your circumstances are difficult.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV
This verse teaches us that giving thanks is God’s will for us. God wants us to be thankful because he knows that gratitude changes the way our minds work and fills us with joy.
Let’s pray: “Father, thank you for being faithful to us in all situations. Even when life is difficult, you are working for good in our lives. Help us to grow in trust as we lean into your presence amid life’s storms. Thank you for the promise that you will never leave us.”
2. Thank God for the opportunity to join him in what he is doing today.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
We are to do everything with grateful hearts. This truth changes the way we approach our daily work and reminds us to keep giving thanks at all times.
Let’s pray: “Dear God, thank you for inviting us to join you in what you are doing in the world around us. Please open our eyes to see where you are working and open our hearts so that we overflow with your compassion for others. Empower us to put our whole hearts into everything we undertake for the glory of your name.”
3. Thank God for hearing your prayers and calming your heart.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
Do you feel anxious or worried today? God wants you to bring your cares and concerns to him. He also wants you to approach him with a thankful heart. You can trust that he is working for your good.
Let’s pray: “Father, we thank you for your goodness. Thank you for caring about us so deeply. We come to you today and cast our worries and cares on you. Please lift the stress and anxiety we often experience as we turn toward you for comfort. Most of all, thank you for being with us and promising to carry us through life’s troubling times.”
More Thanksgiving Prayer Points With Scriptures
4. Thank God for being good even when we don’t understand his ways.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 107:1
Are you having a hard time finding something for which to give thanks?
When we cannot find a reason to thank God amid difficult circumstances, we can always thank him for being good. God’s love will never leave us, and God is always good.
Let’s pray: “God, we thank you that we can trust you even when we don’t understand your ways. We know that your thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Please help us lift our eyes to you as we press forward in trust. You are good. Thank you that your love can never be taken away from us.”
5. Thank God that everything good in your life is a gift from him.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17
I’ll never forget the first time this verse touched my heart. I realized that every single good thing in my life is from God. Every. Good. Thing.
Suddenly, I saw my life in a new light.
I realized that everything from sunny days to smiles from strangers were gifts from God. I began keeping track of God’s blessings, and there were too many to count.
Let’s pray: “Dear Lord, thank you for the many blessings in my life. Please forgive me for overlooking these gifts and overlooking your goodness. Today, I thank you for the following blessings:____________(name as many blessings as you can).”
6. Thank God for the glory of his created world.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6
One of the reasons I love going to the woods is because the forest seems to praise God. From songbirds to hemlock trees, everything was created by God for his glory.
God wants us to live lives of gratitude and praise, too.
Let’s pray: “Heavenly Father, you created everything from the clouds to the oceans. We stand in awe of your creative work. Thank you for creating us to join you in your work on this earth. We join with all creation as we praise you today!”
7. Thank God for being your strength and shield.
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 28:7
Do you need God’s strength today?
Do you need protection or refuge in a storm you are facing?
Thank God for being your source of strength and your shield. He wants you to turn to him for safety and provision today.
Let’s pray: “God, thank you for being my source of strength and my shield. You are my refuge in difficult times and my shelter in life’s storms. I press into you today and find rest. Thank you for your presence and your love in my life.”
8. Offer God your whole heart as you praise him with thanksgiving.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12
God is pleased when we praise him with our whole hearts.
Our praise gives him glory and holds the power to lift our heads in the process.
Let’s pray: “Father God, you are our all-in-all. We praise you with our whole hearts today! We lift up every fiber of our beings and offer thanksgiving to you. May we live to give you glory!”
When Giving Thanks Doesn’t Come Easily
Has gratitude ever felt like a sacrifice to you?
It’s not easy to give thanks when life is difficult or frustrating, but God is pleased when we offer gratitude as a sacrifice.
It’s not easy to give thanks when life is difficult or frustrating, but God is pleased when we offer gratitude as a sacrifice. #gratitude #GiveThanks #ThankGod Share on XLet’s take a few moments to soak in these words together today. God wants us to overflow with gratitude and cultivate grateful hearts.
What gifts can you thank God for?
How does this attitude change the way you see these parts of your life?
Calling All Parents (and Grandparents)!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention, All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Daily Devotional to Help You Trust God While You Wait
I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. These pages are your invitation to stop striving in self-effort and let God do what you’ve been unable to do for yourself. We will create space to let God set us free from fear, worry, stress, shame, besetting sins, and more. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
