There are so many praise and thanksgiving scriptures perfect to help us through the holiday season as we seek to align our hearts with a spirit of praise and worship. Here at His Dearly Loved Daughter Ministries, we’re doing a lot to join in and make gratitude our objective. This list of 20 Psalms of thanksgiving and praise is just the beginning!
If you’re not familiar with our daily devotional feature, Hope for Today, this is a great month (November) to check it out because every day we will focus on a different Bible passage about thanksgiving. Most of the Psalms we’re covering today will be examined more closely one day this month in Hope for Today. But even if you’re reading this post in a month other than November, Hope for Today still has a new passage from Scripture each day that we study together.
*Check out Hope for Today here.
We also have our Redeeming Thanksgiving Series, which was written to help both me and you learn how to reclaim a heart of gratitude after facing terrible traumas in the holiday season. When those experiences, and the memories that come with them, threaten to steal our joy, we need to figure out how to redeem this time and put God back on the throne of our hearts!
*Find the Redeeming Thanksgiving Series here.
But today, let’s start it all off by simply enjoying these beautiful Psalms of thanksgiving and praise, inspired by God and gifted to us for such a time as this!
Classic Psalms of Thanksgiving and Praise
1. Psalm 100 – The Quintessential Thanksgiving Psalm
You probably won’t find a list of praise and thanksgiving scriptures out there that doesn’t include Psalm 100! It’s one of the quintessential thanksgiving Psalms!
Short, sweet, and to the point, Psalm 100 reminds us that our God is good and that His eternal love for us will never fail! It invites us into His throne room where we are welcomed to lift our voices in praise of who He is with gratitude for what He has done.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness,
Come before Him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever,
and His faithfulness continues to each generation.
2. Psalm 34 – The Other Classic Psalm of Thanksgiving and Praise
When it comes to Psalms for Thanksgiving, Psalm 100 is almost certainly on every list, but I doubt you’ll find many that don’t also include at least part of Psalm 34.
It isn’t as short as Psalm 100, and so it’s often cut short. Like so many others, we’re only including the first half of the Psalm, but you can find the whole thing here – Psalm 34.
I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are helpless take heart.
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.
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.
Psalms of Praise and Adoration
3. Psalm 111
Psalm 111 is a wonderful Psalm of praise and adoration! It reminds us of who God is, and why He is worthy of all our praise. It’s also a great reminder that the Fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins, and a heart filled with gratitude is going to first be in awe of Him and rightly revere Him.
*Here’s a whole post about learning how to walk in the fear of the Lord for further study.
Praise the Lord!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
as I meet with His godly people.
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in Him should ponder them.
Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.
He causes us to remember His wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!
He gives food to those who fear Him;
He always remembers His covenant.
He has shown His great power to His people
by giving them the lands of other nations.
All He does is just and good,
and all His commandments are trustworthy.
They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.
He paid a fell ransom for His people.
He has guaranteed His covenant with them forever.
What a holy, awe-inspiring name He has!
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
All who obey His commandments will grow in wisdom.
Praise Him forever!
4. Psalm 44:4-8 – A Psalm of Praise and Adoration
You are my King and my God.
You command victories for Israel.
Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
only in your name can we trample our foes.
I do not trust in my bow;
I do not count on my sword to save me.
You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
you disgrace those who hate us.
O God, we give glory to you all day long
and constantly praise your name.
5. Psalm 95
Psalm 95 is a wonderful example of Psalms of thanksgiving and praise, and one filled with adoration to the God who is “a great King above all gods!” I love the way it reminds us of His power, and I love the appeal it makes to all of us to never forget how deserving He is of our praise.
Come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the mightiest mountains.
The sea belongs to him, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land, too.
Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
If only you would listen to his voice today!
The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah,
as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw everything I did.
For forty years I was angry with them, and I said,
‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
6. Psalm 92 – Thrilling Psalms of Thanksgiving and Praise
What better way to proclaim our adoration to God than with these words from Psalm 92?
“You thrill me Lord!”
May it be the cry of our hearts, not just through the Thanksgiving season, but every day for as long as we live!
In the morning when we wake, and as we lie down for the night. May we be thrilled when we think of our Lord!
*Love the image? You can get a throw pillow, tote bag, or even just a printable image of it here.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,
your faithfulness in the evening,
accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, a harp,
and the melody of a lyre.
You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!
I sing for joy because of what you have done.
O Lord, what great works you do!
And how deep are your thoughts.
Only a simpleton would not know,
and only a fool would not understand this:
Though the wicked sprout like weeds
and evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.
But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.
Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
But you have made me as strong as a wild ox.
You have anointed me with the finest oil.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.
But the godly will flourish like palm trees
and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
They will declare, “The Lord is just!
He is my rock!
There is no evil in him!”
More Psalms of Praise to God
7. Psalm 7:17
I can’t speak for all of us, but when I am tempted to stop being thankful to God, it’s usually because I have begun to question His attributes. I wonder if He is really good, or if He really loves me. I start to question if His ways are just. But Psalm 7:17 reminds me that He is, indeed, just. That means His ways are right, and for that I can praise Him. He is the Lord Most High, and I can trust Him!
*Here’s a little story about a time when God showed up to prove His love to me.
8. Psalm 103 (Also one of the classic Psalms of Thanksgiving and Praise!)
Oh man, I LOVE Psalm 103! (click for the whole chapter) What a wonderful reminder of who WE are without God.
While many of our psalms of thanksgiving and praise focus almost entirely on who God is, this one spends a little time reminding us of the hopelessness of a life spent apart from Him.
*For the sake of space, we’re only including an excerpt.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies…
The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west…
9. Psalm 89
*This is an excerpt of Psalm 89. You can click the title above for the whole thing.
I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever!
Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
Your unfailing love will last forever.
Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens….
All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord;
myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.
For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord?
What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?
The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God.
He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.
O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!
Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord?
You are entirely faithful….
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.
Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation.
They exult in your righteousness.
You are their glorious strength.
It pleases you to make us strong.
Yes, our protection comes from the Lord,
and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king…
Praise and Thanksgiving Scriptures for Hard Times
Of course, gratitude is not something we’re only expected to cultivate during times of plenty. As children of the Most High God, we can give thanks even in the most difficult seasons. In fact, the true people of God have always found reason to praise Him. That’s why the Psalms are not just filled with songs and poems written from the mountaintops of life. They also contain many which were penned from deep within the valleys. Even from those pits, the heartfelt praises of God’s people ring out.
Here are some of my favorite Psalms of thanksgiving and praise for the valleys of life, to help us as we praise God through our own hard times.
10. Psalm 69:29-34
Who among us has never felt like the Psalmist here? How many of us have never cried out to Him begging for rescue?
I am convinced that He is pleased when we do call out to Him in our pain, but may we remember what the Psalmist says here. May we never forget that when He comes to our rescue our thanksgiving and praise pleases Him more than any sacrifice we could make. There isn’t anything we can do to be worthy of His help, except humbling ourselves in repentance and accepting His free gift of salvation.
I am suffering and in pain.
Rescue me, oh God, by Your saving power.
Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
and I will honor Him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
He does not despise His imprisoned people.
Praise Him, oh heaven and earth,
the seas and all that move in them…
11. Psalm 50:14-15
Just in case we weren’t sure from that last one, here’s another to reaffirm that God is not interested in our sacrifices. We can’t earn His favor. What He wants is our thankfulness, and our wholehearted devotion.
Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vow you made to the Most High.
Then call on Me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give Me glory.
12. Psalm 30
The first few verses of this beautiful Psalm pretty much perfectly sum up how I feel about my Lord and Savior. In my deepest, darkest hour, when my faithfulness to Him wavered, and I was sure that death was going to swallow me whole, I cried out to God, and He rescued me! He brought me up from the grave and I will sing to Him forever! He has indeed turned my mourning into joyful dancing!
I will exalt You, Lord, for You rescued me.
You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
Oh Lord my God, I cried to You for help,
and You restored my health.
You brought me up from the grave, oh Lord.
You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
Praise His holy name.
For His anger lasts only a moment,
but His favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last for the night,
but joy comes with the morning!
When I was prosperous, I said,
“Nothing can stop me now!”
Your favor, oh Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.
Then You turned away from me, and I was shattered.
I cried out to You, oh Lord.
I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
“What will You gain if I die,
if I sink into the grave?
Can my dust praise you?
Can I tell of your faithfulness?
Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
Help me, oh Lord.
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me
with joy,
that I might sing praises to You and not be silent.
Oh Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever!
13. Psalm 57
Do you ever feel like you’re surrounded on every side by enemies? Like the world is out to get you, and you’re left standing all alone, clawing and fighting just to stay alive? Well, the Psalmist in Psalm 57 (click for whole chapter) knew exactly how you feel. Check out how he turned to God in gratitude, even when he felt completely overwhelmed.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
until the danger passes by.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
He will send help from heaven to rescue me,
disgracing those who hound me.
My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness…
My heart is confident in you, O God;
my heart is confident.
No wonder I can sing your praises!
Wake up, my heart!
Wake up, O lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn with my song.
I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
I will sing your praises among the nations.
For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
May your glory shine over all the earth.
14. Psalm 28
There was a time in my life when I was certain God didn’t want anything to do with me. I thought for sure I had somehow slipped even beyond His reach. It was the darkest, most desperate place I’ve ever experienced. Of course, it wasn’t true. I had been safe in the palm of His hand the whole time, whether I felt like it or not. Like so many other Psalms of thanksgiving and praise, Psalm 28 (click for whole chapter) is a wonderful reminder of how I felt when I finally realized the truth that He had carried me in His arms all along, and He would carry me forever!
I pray to you, O Lord, my rock.
Do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you are silent,
I might as well give up and die.
Listen to my prayer for mercy
as I cry out to you for help,
as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary…
Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
The Lord gives his people strength.
He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.
Save your people!
Bless Israel, your special possession.
Lead them like a shepherd,
and carry them in your arms forever.
15. Psalm 138
I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
by all the honor of your name.
As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.
Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord,
for all of them will hear your words.
Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways,
for the glory of the Lord is very great.
Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
but he keeps his distance from the proud.
Though I am surrounded by troubles,
you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
and the power of your right hand saves me.
The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me.
“Give Thanks to The Lord for He is Good” Psalms
What list of Thanksgiving Psalms would be complete without at least one of the ones that declare this famous refrain? “Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good! His faithful love endures forever.” It is repeated throughout a number of Psalms of thanksgiving and praise and even in other parts of the Bible as well! We’re including four Psalms for you which include the phrase because I believe it pretty perfectly sums up the whole message of thanksgiving. We CAN give thanks to the Lord, always. Because He IS good! His faithful love really does endure forever, and THAT is worth celebrating!
16. Psalm 106:1-3
Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
Who can ever praise him enough?
There is joy for those who deal justly with others
and always do what is right.
17. Psalm 107:1-3
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
from east and west,
from north and south.
18. Psalm 118:1-9 & 19-29
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever…
Let all who fear the Lord repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
and the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?
Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in people.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes….
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.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.
This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Please, Lord, please save us.
Please, Lord, please give us success.
Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God, shining upon us.
Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
You are my God, and I will praise you!
You are my God, and I will exalt you!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
19. Psalm 136 (click for whole chapter)
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters.
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights—
His faithful love endures forever.
the sun to rule the day,
His faithful love endures forever.
and the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love endures forever…
He remembered us in our weakness.
His faithful love endures forever.
He saved us from our enemies.
His faithful love endures forever.
He gives food to every living thing.
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His faithful love endures forever.
Can I get an amen?
A Psalm Inspired Prayer of Thanksgiving and Praise
20. Psalm 86:1-13 – Psalms of Thanksgiving and Praise to Pray to God this Holiday Season
This final Psalm in our list of 20 Psalms of thanksgiving and praise is one that I think makes a beautiful prayer. You don’t really need to change it at all, just pray the words exactly as they have been penned. But, you can also just use it as a template on which to craft your own prayer of thanksgiving and praise.
Perhaps, you would like to print it out on card-stock and place it at each place setting on Thanksgiving day, and read it together as a family prayer? If so, just click on the picture below, and it will take you to a free downloadable PDF that you can print out and use any way you want. (It will print with a white background, so if you want it to look like the image, print on beige paper.)
Whatever you do, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I pray the whole holiday season will be one in which you are able to find joy and peace as you continually lift your praises to God. He is good, my friend. His love for you will never end. His faithfulness will carry you through this season and all the others. May these Psalms of thanksgiving and praise inspire you to join in with the psalmists in your own eternal worship of our Lord and King!
27 thoughts on “20 Psalms of Thanksgiving and Praise”
I love this Cherith! I need to be intentional to put my praise on for Him and cultivate a heart of gratitude as we head into the Holiday Season. You have gathered the most beautiful Bible Verses and I also love how you do a daily devotional! Much love to you … ❤
Thanks Donna! Hope for Today was a lot of work to put together, but I really believe I get more out of writing it, editing it, and making the verse graphics for it than anyone reading this blog does. Haha. Isn’t that the way it goes for us bloggers? God uses our work to bless us the most!
Simply said, Cherith, the Holy Spirit of God truly used you too speak to a deep place in my heart, soul and spirit. Also, you have quoted verbatim the words my son Emanuel said because he believes the liar( satan) that GOD does not love him. He gave his life to HIM when young and now he us almost 33 years young.
He just find out after much drama over this year, a girl he as dating is with child in first 3 or 4 weeks ( Stephanie). They are at a cross rode on what to do. Hence, I was asking OUR FATHER what to say . I’m going to share your MIGHTY TESTIMONY “Does GOD LOVE ME no matter what?” I m believing this is what HE would have me share this week.
Please keep us in prayer as we meet in the next 24-72 hours!!!
May OUR ABBAFATHER keep on blessing you to share and bring the healing live WORD by the power of HIS BLOOD!! AMEN!!!!
Praying for you and your son right now.
Love all of them. Gratitude is so underrated! Thanks for this and the daily ones you are doing. I’m doing the same on my blog!
Thanks Fleda! I really do think gratitude (to God, of course) is absolutely foundational to a joyful, peace-filled life!
I love all of these Psalms of thanksgiving and praise. I feel like turning on some worship music now!
Haha… YES! Reading through Psalms always makes me want to listen to and sing worship music too! It was hard to narrow this down to just 20 Psalms! There are SO many that talk about thanksgiving and praise.
These are amazing Cherith! I Love the Psalms because they have the most beautiful Bible Verses that we can all relate to. We definitely need to be intentional about giving God praise, gratitude, and Thanksgiving. We take so much for granted. Great post
Thanks Angie. YES! The Psalms are wonderful. When I was a kid I would get SO bored reading through the Psalms, but with life experience under my belt, they have become so meaningful and inspiring!
Oh my goodness, I love them all! I started with one that really spoke to me (that’s my favorite!), then, oh wait, I love this one… and this one.. Wow this one is awesome! Thanks for putting them all together in one place for us as we approach Thanksgiving.
I totally get that AnnMarie. It was the same for me as I was trying to put the list together. Haha… how do you pick just 20? There are SO many Psalms of thanksgiving and praise that just make my heart sing.
Oh wow! I love all of these. Thank you for this wonderful gift!
Thanks LeeAnn! And thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for leading all of us in the praises of God.
Praise God! Thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement Scott!
This really helped my relationship with God. Praise Him!
Praise God! Thanks for the encouragement Tyler!
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I am thankful for the great pain You have taken, to compile this thanksgiving psalms.
They are like a ready bunch of flowers, one can offer to the Lord.
What a beautiful word picture you have painted Raymond! Thank-you for your encouragement friend! God bless you.
Thank you very much for taking out time to compile these psalms. It was just what i needed. God bless you.
Thanks Tina! God bless you right back!
Absolutely Wonderful! God bless you and thank you!
Hello Cherith, this is an excellent resource! Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
God bless!
Joy
Hello Cherith, this is an excellent resource! Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
God bless!
Joy
Thanks Joy.
Thank you dear sister in Christ! I needed to find this page today!.Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a blessed instrument to encourage your brothers and sisters to find, and stay close to our Creator. People need to know that developing humility is the first step to be found by God. i hope and pray this page is found by the ones crying and seeking the Creator, God bless your marriage, your testimony is inspiring.