This list gives you King James Version Scripture passages about praise, arranged by the moments when praise is hardest to offer and easiest to forget. It is written for anyone who wants words to lift to God on an ordinary day, in a hard season, or in a quiet hour of gratitude. Each verse is shown in the KJV, with a short note on how it might shape your own worship.
What these passages share is a simple conviction: God is worthy of praise because of who He is and what He has done, not only because life is going well. The psalmists and apostles praise Him in celebration, in lament, and in confident trust. Read them slowly and let them become your own words.
Verses for Mornings When Gratitude Feels Far Away
Some days you wake up already tired, and praise feels like one more task on the list. The verses in this section are meant for those early minutes, when you need a place to begin before the day pulls you in.
Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
(KJV)
This verse invites you to name the day as something God has made, before you have decided how you feel about it. Try saying it aloud while you make coffee, then ask Him to show you one small thing in the day worth thanking Him for.
Psalm 92:1-2
1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD , and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: 2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night…
(KJV)
The psalmist links praise to the morning and the night, which suggests that thanks can be a rhythm rather than a mood. Pick one time each day, perhaps the drive to work, and make it your habit to give thanks out loud.
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
(KJV)
Written by someone surrounded by ruin, this passage still finds reason to praise God’s faithfulness each morning. When yesterday went badly, read these lines and let the word new anchor your expectation for the next few hours.
Verses for Praise in Seasons of Trouble
Praise is not only for the mountaintop. Many of the strongest passages about worship come from people in danger, grief, or confusion who chose to praise anyway. These verses speak to those harder days.
Psalm 34:1
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
(KJV)
David wrote this psalm after a narrow escape, and he commits to praise before his circumstances change. Use this verse as a declaration when you feel the urge to complain, and speak it in the first person as your own commitment.
Habakkuk 3:17-18
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD , I will joy in the God of my salvation.
(KJV)
The prophet lists the failures of his country’s economy and still rejoices in God. Write down what you have lost and what you still have, then finish the list with a line of praise about who God remains.
Acts 16:25
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
(KJV)
Paul and Silas sing hymns in a prison cell, and the moment becomes a turning point for those around them. Consider how your praise in a hard place might be heard by people watching, even when you feel you have nothing to offer.
Psalm 42:5
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
(KJV)
This verse talks to the downcast soul and tells it to hope in God again. When your heart feels heavy, speak these words to yourself first, then turn them into a short prayer of trust.
Verses for Corporate Worship and Gathering
Praise is also something we do together. These passages describe worship in community, with voices joining in song and shared acts of gratitude. They are helpful before a service, a small group, or a family meal where you want to set the tone.
Psalm 100:4
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
(KJV)
This psalm pictures worshipers entering the temple courts with thanksgiving and praise. Before you walk into your church building or sit down to pray with others, read this verse as a way of preparing your heart for the gathering.
Ephesians 5:19-20
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…
(KJV)
Paul urges believers to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and to give thanks always. Think of one person in your fellowship and choose a song or psalm you could sing with them this week.
Hebrews 13:15
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
(KJV)
The writer calls praise a sacrifice, something offered even when it costs us. Notice the times when praise is inconvenient, and see whether naming God’s name anyway changes how you feel about the cost.
Psalm 150:6
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD . Praise ye the LORD .
(KJV)
The final psalm closes the book with a call for everything that has breath to praise the Lord. Let this verse remind you that your voice matters, even if it is quiet, and that God welcomes it.
Verses for Quiet Moments of Thanksgiving
Sometimes praise is simply noticing that God is good. These verses fit the small, unhurried moments: a meal shared, a walk outside, or the end of a long day when you want to look back and say thank you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
(KJV)
Paul connects thankfulness with God’s will for those who belong to Christ. Before you eat your next meal, pause and name one specific gift on the table, then thank God for it in words.
Psalm 107:1
O give thanks unto the LORD , for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
(KJV)
This psalm opens a long recital of the ways God rescues His people, and it begins with a simple call to give thanks. Take a few minutes to recall one moment when He carried you, and let that memory become your thanks.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
(KJV)
Paul asks that the word of Christ dwell richly in us, expressed through psalms and songs and thankfulness. Try turning one familiar hymn into a prayer this week, singing or speaking its lines slowly.
Psalm 103:1-2
1 Bless the LORD , O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD , O my soul, and forget not all his benefits…
(KJV)
David speaks to his own soul and urges it to bless the Lord and forget none of His benefits. Make a short list of God’s benefits in your own life, and read it aloud before you sleep.
Revelation 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
(KJV)
This verse proclaims that God is worthy to receive glory and honour because He created all things. When creation feels overwhelming or ordinary, remember that its existence itself is a reason to praise its Maker.
How to Use These Verses
Write a handful of these verses on index cards or in the notes app on your phone, and keep them where you will see them: by the bathroom mirror, on the dashboard, or beside your Bible. Reading them in the same place each day helps praise become a habit rather than a rare event.
Pray the verses back to God in your own words. Start with the reference, read the passage slowly, then tell Him what you see in it and where you need it today. Praise shaped by Scripture often feels steadier than praise that depends on your mood.
A Short Prayer for Praise
Lord, You are worthy of praise, and I come to You with a heart that is sometimes glad and sometimes weary. Teach me to bless You in the morning, in the quiet, and in the hard places where I cannot see the way forward. Let these words from Your Word shape my voice until thanksgiving becomes the natural language of my life. Receive the praise I offer today, even when it is small, and remind me that You are faithful to hear it. Amen.
