Thanksgiving is a beautiful time of the year when your entire family and extended family gets together to reflect on the blessings of the past year. The Thanksgiving holiday helps us see what is the most important aspect of our life and even causes a renewal of hope and faith.
As you gather around a warm home-cooked meal, your heart is bound to fill with a lot of gratitude and you no longer have any room in your heart for worry and complain.
Through the act of Thanksgiving prayers, you can reflect on your blessings and Thank God. Thanksgiving prayers enrich our lives as we turn our focus to God’s many promises and blessings.
The most incredible aspect of praying is that it has the divine power to turn our anxiety into peace, our grief into comfort, and our sadness into joy. They are also a great way to educate young children about the importance of Thanksgiving and put things into perspective.
Best Thanksgiving Prayers
1) Thanksgiving prayer by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
Blessed are you, Lord our God, Maker of heaven and earth and Father of all Your people: we give You glory for Your goodness and for Your loving care for us. Bless this food [this bread] and grant that all who eat it may be strong in body and grow in Your love. Blessed are You, Lord our God, for ever and ever.
2) A simple prayer of thanks
Dear God, on this Thanksgiving Day, I want to pause and thank you for the blessings surrounding me. For another day, for family, friends, for food on the table. You are the source of all good things and we praise you for the simple things that bring us joy. Help us keep our eyes on you this day and every day so our lives may be filled with praise and joy. Amen.
3) Thankful for love and mercy
Lord, how can we ever thank You enough? You endured more pain, more shame, more sorrow, more grief than we can possibly fathom. Help us remember why You gave Your life. Because of love. Because of mercy. Because we desperately need them both. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
4) A prayer of gratitude by John F. Kennedy
Let us, therefore, proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessings–let us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals–and let us resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human beings throughout the world.
On that day let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God, and let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist.
Read more: Miraculous Prayers for a Soulmate
5) A prayer of thanks for food and family before the meal
Thank You, Lord God, for this food we are about to eat. Thank You for the hands that have prepared it, for those sitting around the table who are here to share it, and for the ability to be here together under one roof, and enjoy these blessings at Your hand. We realize that everything we have comes from You and for that we are eternally grateful.
We also thank You for what we don’t have this year, for we trust that You have withheld in Your goodness and out of Your protection for us. Thank You that Scripture says You are a Good Father who loves to give gifts to Your children. We sit here as evidence of Your goodness. Thank You for the gift of today and all who are here to share it with us. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, we pray.
Amen.
6) We give thanks
Our Father in Heaven, we give thanks for the
pleasure of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life, the freedom to enjoy it all and all other blessings.
As we partake of this food, we pray for health and strength
to carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ, our Heavenly Father.
7) Prayer for Thanksgiving morning
Thank the almighty, for all that He gave in life, for the food that you eat, for the people you greet, for the love in the heart, for that wonderful start. Thank the Lord for everything, because it is Thanksgiving Day!
8) Crowded with gratitude
Lord God,
Our hearts are crowded with gratitude
as we celebrate the feast of Thanksgiving.
We have come to this our feasting table
with great joy and eagerness,
for we are truly grateful to you, our God,
for all that we have been given.
We pause now and, in silent prayer,
do thank you for the great generosity of Your gifts.
We also thank one another for gifts –
especially for the gifts of love and affection
that we have freely shared.
We are thankful
for all who are present at this our feast
as well as for all those who have labored in love
in order to bring this dinner to our table.
May You, our God, bless this Thanksgiving feast
and all of us who shall share it
in your holy name.
Read more: Inspiring Adoration Prayers
9) Welcoming Table of the Lord
This Thanksgiving, let those of us who have much and those who have little gather at the welcoming table of the Lord. At this blessed feast, may rich and poor alike remember that we are called to serve on another and to walk together in God’s gracious world. With thankful hearts, we praise our God who like a loving parent denies us no good thing.
10) Psalm of Thanksgiving
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. He made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good, and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Amen
11) Prayer of thanks
O, heavenly Father: We thank thee for food and remember the hungry. We thank thee for health and remember the sick. We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless. We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved. May these remembrances stir us to service, that thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.
12) Prayer to Serve
O almighty and merciful Father,
you pour out your benefits on us,
forgive our unthankfulness for your goodness.
We have stood before you with dead and senseless hearts,
unkindled by the love of your gentle and enduring goodness.
O merciful Father, turn us and we will be turned.
Make us hunger and thirst for you with our whole heart,
and with all our longing desire you.
Make us serve you with our whole heart
and with all our zeal seek whatever is pleasing in your sight;
for the sake of your only Son,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
13) Thanks for blessings past and present
Lord God, we gather around this table to humbly thank You for all that You have given us this past year – not just what is on this table, but who is sitting around this table. Thank you for life and laughter, for health and happiness, for relationships and memories. Thank you, too, for the lessons learned and the tears we’ve cried because of Your ability to grow us through them.
Thank You for Your comfort and Your presence, in light of good days and bad. Thank You for what we have now, for what we had yesterday, and for what You will continue to give tomorrow. Let us never take that for granted, but to always be grateful for every good and perfect gift that comes from You. May we have hearts full of thanksgiving not only today but every day of our lives. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Amen.
14) Dinner prayer
Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day, we bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You’ve done, especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, your glory we see, for joy and health, friends, and family.
For daily provision, your mercy and care, these are the blessings You graciously share. So today we offer this response of praise with a promise to follow You all of our days.
15) A Day prayer
O, heavenly Father: We thank thee for food and remember the hungry. We thank thee for health and remember the sick. We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless. We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved. May these remembrances stir us to service, that thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.
Read more: Prayers for Guidance and Understanding of God’s Words
16) Giving thanks
For the expanding grandeur of creation, worlds known and unknown, galaxies beyond galaxies, filling us with awe and challenging our imaginations:
We give thanks this day.
For this fragile planet earth, its times and tides, its sunsets and seasons:
We give thanks this day.
For the joy of human life, its wonders and surprises, its hopes and achievements:
We give thanks this day.
For our human community, our common past and future hope, our oneness transcending all separation, our capacity to work for peace and justice in the midst of hostility and oppression:
We give thanks this day.
For high hopes and noble causes, for faith without fanaticism, for understanding of views not shared:
We give thanks this day.
For all who have labored and suffered for a fairer world, who have lived so that others might live in dignity and freedom:
We give thanks this day.
For human liberty and sacred rites; for opportunities to change and grow, to affirm and choose:
We give thanks this day.
We pray that we may live not by our fears but by our hopes, not by our words but by our deeds.
We give thanks this day.
17) God help me remember
O God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry. When I have work, help me to remember the jobless. When I have a home, help me to remember those who have no home at all. When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer. And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency, bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen.
18) A Prayer for all things
Thank you, God, for this food we are about to eat. And thank You for Your many blessings on us this past year…the ones we’ve seen and those we haven’t seen. Thank you, God, for the times You have said “no.” They have helped us depend on You so much more. Thank you, God, for the unanswered prayers. It reminds us that You know what’s best for us, even when our opinion differs. Thank You for the things you have withheld. You have protected us from what we may never realize. Thank You, God, for the doors You have closed. They have prevented us from going where You would rather not have us go. Thank you, Lord, for the physical pain You’ve allowed in our lives. It has helped us more closely relate to Your sufferings on our behalf.
Thank you, Lord, for the alone times in our lives. Those times have forced us to lean in closer to You. Thank you, God, for the uncertainties we’ve experienced. They have deepened our trust in You. Thank You, Lord, for the times You came through for us when we didn’t even know we needed a rescue. Thank You, Lord, for the losses we have experienced. They have been a reminder that You are our greatest gain. Thank You, God, for the tears we have shed. They have kept our hearts soft and moldable. Thank You, God, for the times we haven’t been able to control our circumstances. They have reminded us that You are sovereign and on the throne.
Thank You, God, for Your ability to take what we consider ‘tragedy’ and turn it into a treasure. Thank You, God, for those You have called home to be with You. Their absence from this earth reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on heaven. Thank You, God, that we have an inheritance in the heavenly places…something that this world can never steal from us and we could never selfishly squander. Thank You, God, for the greatest gift You could ever give us: forgiveness through Your perfect Son’s death on the cross on our behalf. Thank you, God, for the righteousness You credited toward us, through the death and resurrection of Jesus. It’s a righteousness we could never attain on our own. And thank You not only for our eternal salvation, but for the salvation You afford us every day of our lives as You save us from ourselves, our foolishness, our own limited insights, and our frailties in light of Your power and strength.
Thank You, God, for all that You have allowed and not allowed in our lives this past year. For we commit our lives anew to You this day and ask that You would continue to remind us, throughout this next year, that You are God, You are on the throne, and You are eternally good. Thank You, finally, that we can pray in the name of Jesus, who made our access to You—and a personal relationship with You—possible. Amen. We hope this thanksgiving prayer can bring joy and gladness to your family this holiday. Use this prayer all year round to continue to renew your mind and focus on God’s goodness.
19) On Thanksgiving Day
Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day, we bow our hearts to You and pray. We give You thanks for all You’ve done, especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son. For beauty in nature, Your glory we see, for joy and health, friends, and family. For daily provision, Your mercy and care, these are the blessings You graciously share. So today we offer this response of praise with a promise to follow You all of our days.
20) Thankful for Love
Dear God, Thank you that you are a loving, gracious God. Thank you that you’ve offered us forgiveness and the gift of new life in you. Thank you that your love is perfect, it never fails, and that nothing can separate us from your love.
We pray that our lives would be filled and overflowing with the power of your love so we can make a difference in this world and bring honour to you. We ask for your help in reminding us that the most important things are not what we do outwardly, it’s not based on any talent or gift, but the most significant thing we can do in this life is simply to love you and to choose to love others.
21) We thank thee
For flowers that bloom about our feet, Father, we thank Thee. For tender grass so fresh, so sweet, Father, we thank Thee. For the song of bird and hum of bee, for all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee. For blue of stream and blue of sky, Father, we thank Thee. For pleasant shade of branches high, Father, we thank Thee. For fragrant air and cooling breeze, for beauty of the blooming trees, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For this new morning with its light, Father, we thank Thee. For rest and shelter of the night, Father, we thank Thee for health and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
22) Blessing
O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;
for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for the
salt sea and the running water, for the
everlasting hills and the never-resting winds,
for trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses by which we hear
the songs of birds, and see the splendor
of the summer fields, and taste of the autumn fruits,
and rejoice in the feel of the snow, and smell the
breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
and save our souls from being so blind
that we pass unseeing
when even the common thornbush is aflame
with your glory,
O God our creator, Who lives and reigns
forever and ever.
23) Traditional Christian blessing
Thank you for your amazing power and work in our lives, thank you for your goodness and for your blessings over us. Thank you that you are Able to bring hope through even the toughest of times, strengthening us for your purposes. Thank you for your great love and care. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you that you are always with us and will never leave us.
Thank you for your incredible sacrifice so that we might have freedom and life. Forgive us for when we don’t thank you enough, for who you are, for all that you do, for all that you’ve given. Help us to set our eyes and our hearts on you afresh. Renew our spirits, fill us with your peace and joy. We love you and we need you, this day and every day. We give you praise and thanks, for You alone are worthy! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
24) Time of Gratitude to God
Thanksgiving is
a time of gratitude to God, our Creator and Provider,
whose guidance and care go before us…
and whose love is with us forever.
Thanksgiving is
a time to reflect on the changes,
to remember that we, too, grow and change
from one season of life to another.
Thanksgiving is
a time of changing seasons, when leaves turn golden
in Autumn’s wake and apples are crisp
in the first chill breezes of fall.
Let us remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
As we see the beauty of Autumn,
let us acknowledge the many blessings which are ours…
let us think of our families and friends..
and let us give thanks in our hearts.
25) Prayer for healing
Omnipotent and eternal God,
You watch over your children,
with your tender and loving care.
I thank you this day
for your mercy and grace.
I am grateful for your healing power,
and for the abundant blessings
you have given me.
But most of all,
I am thankful for the promise of salvation,
given through your Son, our Lord.
Through him, when all is completed,
there will be no more sickness or pain.
I pray in his name.
