Do you feel like there’s nothing to be thankful for because you’re in the midst of a hard time? Maybe you’re struggling to recognize what you have in your life because if feels like your life isn’t what you want it to be.
I’ve compiled a list of 26 things to thank God for that will definitely remind you of all that you have to be grateful for!
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26 Things to Thank God for Daily
The Nature Around You
The world you live in and God’s creation is truly breathtaking.
On Nat Geo, I marvel at unique landscapes that are very different from where I live (like deserts and mountains), but I sometimes forget to soak in the beauty of the marshland, bays, and beaches where I live.
Take 5 to 10 minutes to sit outside and breathe in the air, and soak in the sun on your skin. If you don’t have a patio, porch, yard, or any outdoor space, open the windows if the weather is nice.
Even just take a drive to a park and sit in your car. The options are endless to soak in the beauty of God’s creation.
The Freedom You Have
In America, you are 100% free to believe what you want!
I understand that not all countries are like that, unfortunately. So when I think of things to thank God for, freedom comes quickly to the forefront of my mind.
You have the freedom to worship God how and where you want. You also have the freedom to say and do what you want (in the confines of the law, of course!).
This is a gift that so many around the world are not blessed with.
Your Relationships with Family, Friends, and God (and Their Love!)
Next on my list of things to thank God for is the love we get from our close relationships.
Maybe for you, it’s friends and coworkers, or neighbors if you’re not super close with your family.
Or maybe you thank God daily for your family, even if your relationship with them isn’t perfect or needs work.
Regardless, the sense of closeness and relating does wonders for our mental health and mood.
The Basics You Take for Granted
These are the simple luxuries that come to mind when you sit around the table on Thanksgiving.
Your home, bed, clean water, clothes. The whole nine yards. The items in your home that allow you to live comfortably.
You don’t always remember to appreciate your slippers, do you? Or the soap you wash your hands with.
God’s Presence in Your Life
Even though it may feel like you’re on your own in this big old scary world, you’re not. And if you’re a Christian, you know that in the back of your mind.
God is always near, waiting for you to call out to Him and talk to Him.
He’s always available. Unlike your mom or best friend, he always answers the call. He’s a living God! And He’s actively working in your life, desiring a relationship with you.
Your Abilities, Strength, and Health
You are capable and able to do so much! Likely, your legs get you to and from places, your arms allow you to eat, hug, and swim.
You have unique talents and skills, and a special perspective and background that not one other person has in this world.
You have physical and emotional strength to overcome literal and mental obstacles.
And you are living and breathing today. Maybe you’re totally healthy, have overcome an illness lately, or are hanging in there through a sickness. But you’ve been given another day.
God’s Protection, Grace, and Mercy
God watches out for you in every step you take through life. Yes, bad things happen because there’s sin in the world, but God’s always got your back when crap hits the fan.
And, God’s been gracious enough to give us what we don’t deserve (grace).
Plus, He’s spared us from what we do deserve (mercy).
A Sense of Community
You can have community inside and outside the church, and I think both are important.
When you’re feeling like you can’t think of things to thank God for, focus on how grateful you are to feel a part of a community.
This could be your neighborhood, your gym, a Mommy and Me group, or your ladies’ bible study group. Get connected! And you’ll be so thankful you did.
A Fresh Start and a New Day
Of all the things to thank God for, this one seems to always come to my mind first. No matter how messy yesterday was, it’s over!
Today is new and fresh and has the potential to be a good day, even if it started off bad.
Your Problems, Trials, and Sufferings
When wracking my brain for things to thank God for, my problems honestly don’t come to mind first.
I bet your problems are just as much a nuisance as mine. How can you be thankful for them…?
Same for our trials and the struggles and suffering you endure. I’ll be honest with you, the most clarity I’ve ever felt came after a trial.
And the best I’m able to reflect and zoom out to see the bigger picture is when I’m working through a struggle.
It’s possible to thank God for these hardships solely for the fact that they provide clarity, growth, and learning. In a way, that’s a blessing in disguise.
| Related Reading: How to Grow Your Faith While Navigating your Mental Health Journey
Your Weaknesses
One of my weaknesses is my pride. I have so much pride. And that leads to challenges in my relationships and circumstances.
Yet, I have seen how God has worked on me despite my pride to help me slowly trust Him more and more. Where I am weak, He is strong.
Your weakness- whatever it is- can be the catalyst for more trust in God. So thank God for the reminder, that trigger to trust Him more (and daily!).
Nourishment for Your Physical Body
Food, water, the vitamins you grabbed off the shelf at Walmart, that protein powder for your smoothie. (Delish smoothie recipe)
All of these are perfect examples of things to thank God for! They’re basics, but they make a huge difference in our health.
Nourishment for your Spirit
God provides us with multiple ways to nourish our spirit and grow our faith.
Jesus gifted us with the Holy Spirit when he left this earth. I don’t know about you, but I totally underutilize the Holy Spirit!
But when I remember that I have the Holy Spirit to call on, I really do feel so thankful that I’m never on my own in this world.
Prayer
Okay, so get this, you serve a LIVING God! All the religions out there are based around a god who’s no longer alive.
The Christian faith is amazing because we get to talk to- I’ll repeat, TALK to- the God of the universe! He wants to hear from little old me and he wants to hear from little old you, too!
So don’t forget about how amazing it is that we get to talk to (that’s what prayer is, just talking) our Creator.
Simple Sweet Things in Life that Bring Enjoyment
Of all the things to thank God for, we forget about little simplicities that make us smile.
The taste of butternut squash soup or double chocolate ice cream. The sound of your favorite song. How easy it is to look up anything you want by asking Alexa or Siri. That mural on the side of the building in the center of town.
Try to notice what makes you smile and what catches your eye throughout the rest of your day, and thank God for it!
God’s Goodness and Provision
Despite what’s going on in your life that’s hard, God IS good. He wants to see you grow and come out of hardship and lean on Him.
He’s made so many promises to us that show His goodness!
And on top of His goodness, He provides for us!
When bills were stacking up, I got a raise AND a bonus at work.
When we needed to find a home to buy before our lease on the townhome was up, a beautiful home that was in our budget became available at just the right time.
His goodness and provision are two things to thank God for that we shouldn’t forget!
Your Purpose
Whether you know what your “purpose” is in this world or not, you have one! Try any of these books on finding your purpose for a little help discovering it.
I believe that our God-given purpose is simple, to love God and love others.
But you may also feel you can fulfill that purpose by doing something specific with your life. Something you’re good at that makes you money.
And the journey to figuring out what that thing is can be so rewarding! So remember to thank God for the purpose He’s given you and the gifts and abilities He’s created you with to carry out your purpose.
Related Reading: How to Feel Truly Fulfilled in Life
Peace through Challenging Times
When both of my grandparents (who I was very close with) passed away within three months of each other, I was broken.
But I began to feel a peace that I couldn’t explain. I finally understood what Philippians talks about.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
It’s important to thank God when he grants us such peace! The idea of trying to deal with things on your own is too overwhelming.
Your Life as a Whole
We’ve broken things down so you have individual and specific things to thank God for, but let’s go big and broad here.
All of the facets of your existence make up your life! Your health, your relationships, your current circumstances, your job, all of it. All these things work together to create your life experience.
I hope you can say you enjoy your life! I really do! And if so, thank God so much for it!
And if you aren’t in a place where you actually love your life, that’s okay. You can still thank God for what He’s given you, and pray about it so you can get to a place of loving life!
Church
In church, you’re (hopefully) filled with the Word of God, surrounded by loving Christians, and supported!
Again, there’s a major sense of community to be thankful for. When a family is struggling, a text goes out to see who can cook a meal for them. When you’re grieving, there’s someone hosting a GriefShare group.
Thank God for the church He has you in. Or pray about it and go church shopping if you don’t have one! Get plugged in.
Your Job
Ideally, you love your job. But maybe you’re not feeling it right now. Either way, it’s worth thanking God for the income it provides.
God has you where you’re working right now for a reason. Maybe it’s to impact a coworker or do some really good work in the community. You’re meant to be there at this time in history.
Let God know you’re grateful for the money/stability/benefits/social time that this job provides.
| Related Reading: How to Get a Better Job in Just 3 Steps
Your Car
So it makes a few odd sounds and one tire slowly leaks air. It still gets ya safely around, am I right?
Thank God for keeping you safe in it and for providing you with such an easy way to get around.
Hope
This one is significant! Whatever you have going on in your life right now that feels so heavy and burdensome, know that there are better things to come if you’re a Christian.
As Christians, we have accepted Jesus Christ as our savior and are patiently waiting to see Him again in heaven.
This means nothing on earth is permanent. We’re waiting on that eternal hope. Thank God for that!
Company- You’re Not Alone, God is with You
Thank the Lord we don’t have to travel through this world alone! The beauty of God is He’s always around and present for you.
Especially when you’re feeling alone, focus on this fact and this promise.
Citizenship in Heaven
If you’re saved, you’ll spend eternity in heaven! You are a child of God! You’re chosen, and you’re His, held in his hand, protected and loved!
In your list of things to thank God for, remember to be grateful for the fact that you belong in heaven.
Jesus is Your Savior / Your Faith / the Bible
I saved this one for the end because it’s finale worthy!
If you’re new to Christianity, I’ve written about the basics of the Christian faith.
If you’ve accepted Christ as your savior, what more could you ask for in terms of things to thank God for? This is the end-all be-all! Thank Him that He saved your life!
And thank Him for your journey of faith thus far, and the fact that you live in a time where the Bible is crazy easy to access and read and find studies on.
(Here are my favorite bible studies!)
What Should We be Grateful For?
There’s really no “should” here. Be grateful for what feels natural. If the first handful of things that come to your mind are your health, your family, and your pup, that’s good!
Don’t feel like you have to hit on every single item on the list above. That list is just meant to get your juices flowing and provide you with ideas.
Notice the small things and specific things from each day. I like to focus on specifics! Maybe today your coffee was totally perfect and it got you feeling ready for your busy day. You can thank God for the “trivial” things like that too.
When you get specific, you’re challenging yourself to look into the harder parts of your day to dig for something good within them. This really helps change your perspective on life.
There are so many random and “silly” things to thank God for that you’ll start to notice as you reflect on your day. And He wants to hear it all!
What to Thank God for in Prayer
I like to start my prayers off by praising and thanking God.
Don’t feel like you need to cover alllll your bases and thank God in every prayer for every single thing. Just thank Him for what’s on your heart in the moment.
The good thing is that there’s no wrong way to pray. Just open up and share what feels natural. You’ll get better and better about being honest with God, too.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, you can absolutely pray something like:
“God, I know I’m supposed to praise you in my suffering, and I’m trying to see what good can come out of my anxiousness, but I can’t see it right now. I don’t feel grateful for this experience. Please help me.”
Crying out to God is good! He wants to know your struggles, not just hear you praise Him.
| Related Reading: Christianity and Anxiety: 5 Things the Bible Says about Anxiety
Who God Is & What He’s Done for You
If you’re new to Christianity, I want to give you a lil dose of the amazing things God has done for YOU!
Like if you were the only person in the world, God would have still done this just for you.
The world was supposed to be perfect. That’s how God created it.
But sin entered the world and ran rampant. Sin meant separation from God.
And you and I both, we sin every day! We lie, we cheat, we do hurtful things, and we’re selfish. So our sin separates us from God. And there are consequences for our sins.
The consequence is eternal separation from God- in hell.
Buuuut, God sent Jesus, his only Son, to take the punishment for my sin and yours and everyone else’s.
Jesus was a real man that walked the earth about 2000 years ago. Fully God yet fully human. He died a brutal death so that we didn’t have to pay the debt of our sins.
He died for you, so you didn’t have to suffer the consequences of your sin.
Check out any of these scriptures about the gospel story to hear it straight from the bible:
- John 3:16
- Romans 5:8
- Isaiah 53:5
- Mark 10:45
THAT’S who God is. He sent His Son to die! For you!
That fancy word of salvation means that you believe and accept what He did for you, and you commit your life to loving Him and living for Him.
Related Reading: How to Share the Gospel with Confidence: Here’s Exactly What to Say
Reasons to Thank God
Aside from the list of reasons above, I would say the main reason to praise God is because of all He’s done for you.
Jesus gave his life for you. To put that in perspective, that’s like someone heroically pushing you out of the way of a big bus and dying in the process. That situation, but on steroids!
Jesus didn’t do a darn thing to deserve death. He never even sinned, yet He took the fall for you.
If that’s not a reason to thank God, I don’t know what is.
Free Printable Gratitude Journal
BONUS: Get free gratitude journal worksheets and prompts
Don’t miss this streamlined, simple worksheet that will help you get started journaling for gratitude!
Make sure to check your promotion and junk folders to find it!
What is the Best Way to Give Thanks to God
When you want to praise and thank God, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably prayer.
Praying is a beautiful way to thank God for what He’s given you. It’s just a conversation with Him. No fancy words necessary.
You could also praise Him through worship. Sometimes when I don’t have the words to pray, I’ll listen to worship music and let the lyrics of the song do the thinking for me.
A less common vehicle to thank God through is journaling. I loooove journaling! I have a few different journals for different purposes.
I actually use yearly planners as my journals so they’re already dated for me!
Try dedicating a journal to your faith. You can jot down random things that come to your mind that you’re thankful for. The more specific the better!
And even better if you can log answers to prayer.
When you’re going through something later down the line, you have a log to look back on of all the ways God has been there and been good to you.
How Can I be Grateful to God for Everything?
Grateful for everything…? Surely that doesn’t mean eeeeverything.
Well, yep, it actually does. Even in the midst of hardship, it’s possible to praise God.
But how?
You can be thankful for what you’re learning through the hardship and the strength you’re gaining through the difficult time.
You can also focus on what’s good, or even just okay about the spot you’re at right now.
When my dad was hospitalized for about 3 months, it was so hard for the family. But one beautiful thing I realized through it was that I was seeing him more than I had since I moved out and our relationship was growing.
We were spending much more time together and talking way more than we ever had. My relationship with him grew deeper in the middle of a crazy hard time.
You don’t have to love the place you’re at in life right now. But it is possible to shift your attention to the okay-ish things instead of ruminating and dwelling on the hard things.
The book Embrace Your Almost by Jordan Lee Dooley really helped me understand how to live well in the middle of hard times.
How do you Thank God Every Morning?
First of all, you can have your prayer time whenever works for you. I like the mornings. I use my morning commute to pray.
But if you’re wondering how to thank God daily, I’d say setting aside time is numero uno!
It could be the time you’re in the shower or the time in the morning when you’re sipping your coffee. Maybe it’s your commute, like me, or you set aside time to pray when you’re cooking.
I have found lots of success incorporating things into my life by habit stacking. I was already driving every day, so I added something I wanted to do (prayer) to something I was already doing.
Check out Atomic Habits by James Clear for more about growing healthy habits and breaking bad ones.
Intentionality is key, too. Sure, I’d love to sing along to the radio on my drive to work, but I make a daily choice to spend time with God instead.
Let’s Bring it Home
I truly hope that you feel a new sense of gratitude after going through this list of things to thank God for. Because this praise will help you to feel more grateful and content, even if you’re in the middle of something hard.
Set aside a small bit of time daily to sit in prayer and thank God for what you have. Maybe try journaling about it too! Be intentional and your faith will grow!
Related Reading:
3 Misconceptions about Prayer SHATTERED + 3 Tips for More Meaningful Prayer
Inspirational Life Lessons and Random Realizations to Motivate You and Get You Out of that Funk
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Mmmmh, thanks for reminding us to be thankful for the many blessing God has given us It is a good way to start the year.
For sure, it’s so helpful to focus on this at the start of a new year! New year, better perspective!
Participating in prayer and thankfulness on a daily basis keeps me grounded and feeling content. When we are connected to God, even the smallest of things become daily blessings.
I totally agree, Susan! Thank you for your thoughts on this 🙂
Love this! Such a great reminder of all of the things we should be grateful for, but often overlook.
It’s so easy to overlook some of these, you’re so right! Glad it was a good reminder for you!
Outstanding list! I love spending time in prayer each night before I go to bed. It helps me to feel connected to and grounded. Thanks for sharing!
Love the words you used- connected and grounded! So true 🙂
It is always good to be reminded how we have so many small things to be grateful for. Even during rough times, there are still good things in our lives that we should at. It’s hard to find time for prayer and mediation in a busy life, but reminders like these are helpful.
It IS tough to find the time for these things! I’m right there with ya, but the more intentional we are about carving out small chunks of time for prayer and mediation, the better off our mental and spiritual health will be!
I try to start each day with gratitude. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. I love all the things you have reminded me of to be grateful for.
Agreed! A deprivation mindset is not the best headspace to be in. Let’s strive to live in an abundance mindset 🙂
This was the perfect post to read in the bath this evening ❤️ feeling extra grateful for the ability to read inspiring blog posts and nourish my currently sick body with an herbal soak 👏
Love your ability to focus on the good even when you’re not feeling great! 🙂