Do you ever struggle to give thanks to God?
I know that sometimes I do. A few years ago, I started thanking God whenever I was really sick. Maybe that sounds strange, but I was inspired by Romans 5:3-5. In the ESV, it says:
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
I remember reading that passage for what seemed like the hundredth time when I was ill and in pain. This time, though, I recall thinking, “Rejoicing in my sufferings sure sounds a lot like thanking God for my sufferings!” That seems to be especially true when I notice that I am rejoicing in my sufferings because the hardships I go through produce endurance, character, and hope in Jesus.
So, I resolved to offer a simple prayer whenever life was hard. I decided I would pray, “Lord, thank you for this present trial you have allowed me to suffer through. I know you are growing my character, and that you will be glorified.”
Simple, right?
It wasn’t. The first ten times or so that I prayed that prayer, I choked on it. I literally couldn’t pray it. So instead, I asked God for the strength to thank him for my trials. Eventually, I was able to thank him earnestly every time I was really sick. (I am sick a lot. Someday, God will have grown my character to monumental proportions–or at least enough so that my first instinct in all things is to thank God.)
Thanking God for my struggles didn’t change my pain, but it did change the way I feel and think about it. Praying that prayer of thanksgiving changed my relationship with the Lord, too.
You don’t have to wait until life is hard to thank God. You can thank him in all things! Take a look at a prayer of thanksgiving from Scripture.
Oh Give Thanks to the Lord!
Following their exile, the people of Judah were called to give thanks to God in Psalm 107. You’ll want to read Psalm 107. Go ahead… I’ll wait.
The psalm is a communal call to thanksgiving. It describes four different circumstances the people of God went through when they were scattered during the exile.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
Has God ever redeemed you from trouble? Of course he has! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
I love that throughout the psalm, there are two repeating themes.
- First, the people of God find themselves in trouble. Each group cries out to God for help:
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress. (vv. 6, 13, 19, 28) - Then, the psalm calls those whom God has rescued to praise him:
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man! (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31)
No matter what we go through in this life, we can call out to the Lord in our trouble. We can always thank God for his steadfast love and for his wondrous works to the children of man. Imagine: the God of the Universe has numbered the hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30). That is how much he cares about you!
I love the end of Psalm 107, our call to thank God. Verse 43 says:
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Let us be wise and attend to considering the Lord’s steadfast love. Let us thank him for all things!
A Thanksgiving Prayer
You can give thanks to the Lord, based on God’s Word in Psalm 107. This thanksgiving prayer is valid and biblical, every day of the year!
Lord, you have redeemed me from trouble. I was in a terrible predicament and I called to you. You delivered me from my distress. Even when I rebelled against your words and spurned your counsel, you rescued me. Father God, I thank you for your steadfast love. You have done wondrous works for the people of Scripture, and in my life, as well. Let me say so to all I encounter!
I love that when we pray the words of Scripture, we are praying God’s own words back to him. We can even add in our own words as we pray.
Scripture is full of teachings about prayer. It is also full of prayer. We can learn to pray biblically–straight from God’s Word!
Prayers of Thanksgiving in Scripture
You can pray the prayers of thanksgiving the people of the Bible prayed.
The devotional I wrote for you, 60 Scriptures You Can Pray (Whitaker House, 2026), has eight types of prayer you will learn about. Here are the devotions you’ll study covering biblical prayers of thanksgiving!
- God Made Me Laugh | Genesis 21:1-7
- The Lord Has Triumphed | Exodus 15:19-21
- You Search Me and Know Me | Psalm 139
- You Have Done Wonderful Things | Isaiah 25:1-9
- His Mercy Is for Those Who Fear Him | Luke 1:46-55
- He Made Us a Family | Philippians 1:3-11
- Born Again to a Living Hope | 1 Peter 1:3-5
This year, learn to offer biblical prayers of thanksgiving, just like the heroes of our faith!
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60 Scriptures You Can Pray
The Bible is full of prayer that you can pray too!
How do you pray when you don’t know what to say? The Bible holds the answer.
God doesn’t expect us to pray without guidance. In fact, Scripture is full of examples of ordinary people approaching our extraordinary God in prayer.
Award-winning author Danika Cooley believes that praying God’s Word teaches us how to best communicate with our Lord:
“There are so many lessons we can learn from Scripture about how to approach God and what to expect when we do.”
Danika’s devotional 60 Scriptures You Can Pray covers eight types of prayer from the Bible, the expectations we should have when we pray, and the right heart attitude for prayer.
- Praise | We adore God for who he is.
- Thanksgiving | We thank God for all he has done.
- Confession | We admit our sin to the God who saves us.
- Supplication | We humbly ask God to provide for our needs.
- Intercession | We ask God to meet the needs of others.
- Deliverance | We cry out to God for help in times of trouble.
- Lament | We bring our sorrow to God, our comforter.
- Guidance | We ask for God’s help in determining his will for our lives.
When you read 60 Scriptures You Can Pray, you will:
- Develop a habit of praying daily over a two-month period
- Learn more about prayer in Scripture
- Understand eight different types of prayer
- Expand your understanding of how to pray biblically
- Become better acquainted with God, His Word, and why we pray
Packed with thoughtful explanations of biblical prayer and practical application in each devotion, 60 Scriptures You Can Pray is the tool you need to learn more about prayer–straight from God’s Word.
Want to equip the women in your church to pray biblically?
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