Maybe this Thanksgiving you are overflowing with gratitude for life. Maybe you have three journal pages full of things to be thankful for.

Or maybe this has been one of those years that’s like one never-ending, cranky, school morning, and you just can’t drum up much gratitude at the moment.

King David, who wrote many of the Psalms, understood the ebb and flow of life seasons. When you peruse the Psalms, you find some brimming with praise and thanksgiving and some bemoaning life and health and disloyal friends. But no matter the circumstance, most of David’s poems end with encouraging thoughts about God. And truly, no matter what you and I face today or find ourselves carrying into this holiday season, we can be encouraged as we ponder David’s words about the kind of God we have.

Here are 10 of our favorite encouraging Psalms to ponder this Thanksgiving. Read these Psalms as you praise God and thank Him for his love and faithfulness.

1.God’s beautiful love for you never changes, never falters, and never ends. Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.(136:1)

2. God’s faithfulness toward you goes on forever. Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord! (117:1-2)

3. God is God: worthy of praise, awesome in creative power, and full of goodness.  Psalm 100

Know that the Lord, is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his (100:3)

4. God purposefully created you as an intricate work of art, and He cares about every little piece of you.   Psalm 139

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.  (139:13-17)

5. God is the greatest hope and encouragement for a worn-out soul. Psalm 42

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God. (42:11)

6. God is the best and truest antidote to any fear. Psalm 56

In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me? (56:10-11)

7. God is a nurturing Shepherd who knows just what you need. Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (23:1)

8. God is your best defender. Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid? (27:1)

9. God is a trustworthy provider with your best interest at heart. Psalm 37

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
 Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.. (37:3-5)

10. God is right here with you, listening to you and eager to help.  Psalm 145

The Lord is near to all who call on Him to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, he also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalm 145:18-19)

So whether you’re approaching this Thanksgiving with over-the-moon gratitude or a feeble attempt to drum up a droplet or two of thanks, may you find hope and encouragement as you think on the truth of our God.

Source: Crosswalk