Thankful Christian quotes often bring our annual Thanksgiving celebration to mind, and the proclamation of one of our presidents speaks to our hearts about the heartfelt thanks we owe our heavenly Father. Barely three months after the Battle of Gettysburg, which saw the death of over 7,000 souls and the wounding of 33,000, President Abraham Lincoln presented a proclamation which instituted a national day of Thanksgiving. In his address, he said, “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Philippians 4:5-7 also speaks to setting aside time for thanksgiving when it says, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
President Lincoln’s proclamation exemplified this passage by establishing a national observance that, even amid the horrors of the Civil War, prioritized thanks to God. It was a sincere act of gratitude, recognizing the blessings and peace that allowed life to continue despite the hardships of the war.
As Christians, we have much to thank God for now, and our gratitude will continue into eternity (Psalm 52:9, 145:1). Each day, we’re privileged to acknowledge His countless blessings and express our thanks for His goodness toward us (Psalm 103:2). To inspire you to do just that, let's look at some thankfulness quotes by Christians past and present.
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Thanksgiving Quotes from Noteworthy Christians of the Past
Billy Graham said, “A spirit of thankfulness is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord. Thank God in the midst of trials and every persecution.”
In his biography of eighteenth-century British abolitionist William Wilberforce, William Hague shares a quote of Wilberforce’s from a letter to his sister one Easter. “'The day has been delightful. I was out before six. . . I think my own devotions become more fervent when offered in this way amidst the general chorus with which all nature seems to be swelling the song of praise and thanksgiving.’ It was the echo of this song that his friends could hear when in his presence.”
In his Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, British writer and literary scholar C.S. Lewis said, “I have tried...to make every pleasure into a channel of adoration. I don’t mean simply by giving thanks for it. One must of course give thanks, but I mean something different. How shall I put it?... Gratitude exclaims, very properly, ‘How good of God to give me this.’ Adoration says, ‘What must be the quality of that Being whose far-off and momentary coruscations [glitters] are like this!’ One’s mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun.”
In his Smaller Catechism, reformer Martin Luther states, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. What does this mean? I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.”
George Frideric Handel, the great composer who wrote what is considered by many to be his masterwork, The Messiah, expressed his thanksgiving to the Lord in the way God gifted him—through music. “Give Thanks to the Lord” is a piece from The Messiah and quotes and references Psalm 136:1, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever.”
Nineteenth-century pastor Charles Spurgeon is called the “prince of preachers” because of his powerful witness to the Gospel and the enduring legacy of his work (his devotionals are still used worldwide). He said this about thanksgiving: “Our worship should have reference to the past as well as to the future; if we do not bless the Lord for what we have already received, how can we reasonably look for more? We are permitted to bring our petitions, and therefore we are in honour bound to bring our thanksgivings.”
Thanksgiving and praise go hand-in-hand, and evangelist and Bible teacher Oswald Chambers wrote, “Everything that God has created is like an orchestra praising Him. ‘All Thy works shall praise Thee.' In the ear of God everything He created makes exquisite music, and man joined in the paean of praise until he fell; then there came in the frantic discord of sin. The realisation [his spelling] of Redemption brings man by way of the minor note of repentance back into tune with praise again…Praising God is the ultimate end and aim of all we go through.”
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Thanksgiving Quotes from Present-Day Noteworthy Christians
Prolific speaker and author Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth writes in her book, “Choosing Gratitude, “True gratitude, Christian gratitude, doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it has an Object,” One preview for the book relates what Nancy’s theme, “By intentionally thanking God and others, bitterness and entitlement are replaced with joy and the humble realization of just how undeserving we really are.”
All our thanks belong to our Savior.
Pastor and writer, Kevin DeYoung writes this in his article, “The Anatomy of Holiness,” “The heart is full of joy instead of hopelessness, patience instead of irritability, kindness instead of anger, and humility instead of pride, thankfulness instead of envy…When I lose track of what holiness is actually about, I try to scan down the body from head to toe and remember what God desires from me. And just as importantly, I need to remember who Christ is and is making me to become.”
In one of his messages on Thanksgiving, Pastor John MacArthur said, “The Thanksgiving season is a wonderful time to heighten your sensitivity to the blessings bestowed by God. Thanksgiving grabs your attention, shakes the cobwebs loose, and reminds you of all God's most precious gifts. That's one reason Thanksgiving has always held such a special place in my heart. It rekindles in me the kind of God-centered gratitude that our Lord demands and deserves—the kind that should readily be on our lips year round.”
Pastor David Schrock wrote this about Thanksgiving: “As we approach Thanksgiving, we should remember that thanksgiving is more than a feeling prompted by turkey and stuffing. Thanksgiving is a way of life for those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. And thanksgiving is one of the chief ways that Jesus builds up his church. Here’s what I mean. Scripture teaches us that we are created to give thanks to God for all that he has given to us. We praise him for his good gifts in creation, and we adore him especially for his mercy in salvation. Yet, in Paul’s letters to the churches, we find a peculiar focus on giving thanks for the people whom Christ has given us. And it is worth considering this particular gift as we celebrate Thanksgiving.”
Aaron Joseph Hall, founder of Jesus Loving Forum, writes in Outreach magazine about 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Gratitude transcends a simple “thank you.” It’s a profound theological stance that recognizes the goodness of God in all life’s seasons. In the biblical sense, thanksgiving aligns closely with recognizing God’s unchanging nature. It’s an acknowledgment that God’s goodness is constant, even when life’s tides shift. This perspective shifts our focus from fleeting circumstances to an eternal truth, anchoring our hearts in peace. Yet, life isn’t always smooth sailing. Trials, disappointments, and uncertainties often obscure our capacity to be thankful. How do we maintain gratitude when circumstances seem insurmountable? This is where faith’s resilience is tested—viewing challenges not as barriers but as opportunities for growth and deepened trust in God.”
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What Did Jesus Say about Thanksgiving?
No listing of thankfulness quotes would be complete without at least one from the Author and Perfecter of our faith—the Lord Jesus Christ.
“In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will. All things have been handed over to Me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him” (Luke 10:21-22).
Hallelujah and all praise and thanksgiving to the One who reveals Himself to us.
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In What Other Ways Have Notable Christians Expressed Thanksgiving?
Via Song:
When we regard all with which the Lord has blessed us, our hearts ring with praise and thanksgiving. Shane and Shane recorded “When I Think About the Lord,” a song of remembrance and thankfulness to our great God.
Via Poetry:
Seventeenth-century Anglican vicar/poet, Robert Herrick wrote, “A Thanksgiving to God, for His House," a portion of which reads:
“Lord, 'tis Thy plenty-dropping hand
That soils my land;
And giv'st me, for my bushel sown,
Twice ten for one;
Thou mak'st my teeming hen to lay
Her egg each day;
Besides my healthful ewes to bear
Me twins each year;
The while the conduits of my kine
Run cream, for wine.
All these, and better, Thou dost send
Me, to this end,
That I should render, for my part,
A thankful heart,
Which, fir'd with incense, I resign,
As wholly Thine;
But the acceptance, that must be,
My Christ, by Thee.”
Christians through the ages have expressed thanksgiving to God in many other ways, including through fiction, non-fiction devotionals, essays, narratives, and books. Playwrights have penned stage productions to exalt the Lord through thankfulness. Christian scientists and those in medicine have displayed their findings which point directly to our Creator God.
But speech brings God’s general revelation (Psalm 19, Romans 1) to faith and fruition in His special revelation of the Scriptures, for, as Romans 10:17 clearly states, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
May God use the quotes of the saints (Psalm 31:23; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Jude 3) to magnify His name and draw people to Himself through Jesus Christ our Lord (John 6:44, 14:6). Happy Thanksgiving!
For other looks at gratitude-inspiring thanksgiving quotes, see these articles on Christianity.com, Crosswalk.com, and ibelieve.com.
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Originally published Wednesday, 30 October 2024.