Is God thankful? I had probably never thought of the question before today, because I never thought of God as needing anything. And perhaps it is true, as many theologians have said, that God does not really “need” anything.

However, I have noticed something about thankful people: They are thankful, even when they do not need a thing. Their response to an offer to help is, “No, I’m good, but thank you so much for offering!” And for grateful people, this is not simply a matter of being courteous. They mean it.

Admittedly, there are not any Scripture passages that say, point blank, that God thanks anyone for anything. However, there are passages that might suggest that God is, in fact, grateful for certain things.

Take, for example, this story from Jesus:

Matt. 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:31-40, English Standard Version)

The words “thanks” or “gratitude” do not occur in Matthew 25:31-40. Yet it seems to me that there is a wonderful atmosphere of gratitude in the King’s words to those who had shown kindness to “the least of his brothers.”

Then, there is a verse in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God” (Romans 2:29). Paul is talking about how God expects faith and obedience from the Gentile and from the Jew, without any partiality.

It is often noted that the name “Judah” (from which we get the word “Jew”) is a Hebrew word that suggests the idea of “praise.” Indeed, in Genesis 29:35, speaks of Leah praising God as the result of the birth of Judah. In Genesis 49:8, the Scriptures speak of Judah’s brothers praising him.

But I think there is more than just a word play going on here. Notice how Paul speaks of the one who belongs to God as receiving praise from God. What?! I thought that humans were supposed to praise God, not the other way around! However, Paul is clear at this point. He is speaking here of God praising believers, rather than the other way around. (In John 5:44 Jesus speaks of “receiving glory from God.” This also sounds a bit like God thanking us.)

Perhaps there is a broader argument for thinking of God as being thankful. Most of us would, I think, acknowledge the fact that gratitude is a good thing for humans. Why, then, would it not be a good thing for God as well?

Why not indeed? A grateful God is much more appealing than a god who never says, “Thanks!” to anyone.