30 Beautiful Thanksgiving Prayers & Blessings to Express Gratitude in 2024

Last updated: September 12, 2023

On this page, you'll find beautiful Thanksgiving prayers and blessings to help you find the words to give gratitude before your holiday feast. Whether you're looking for a short blessing before carving the turkey or a longer prayer to lead your gathering, you'll find options here full of praise, love, and gratitude. We hope you find the perfect one for your Thanksgiving day dinner blessing.

Each year, we celebrate Thanksgiving by giving grace, as we surround ourselves with loved ones and give thanks for those dear to us. Thanksgiving blessings recognize God as the source of all things that make our lives great, whether it's part of our daily routines or our more spiritual moments. We may not always make the time to connect with God every day, and Thanksgiving reminds us of his constant support and presence.

Sometimes, it's difficult to find the right words to express all that we are grateful for. These Thanksgiving blessings can help you put your thoughts into a meaningful prayer of thanks to God. You can prepare to say grace by reading a prayer, quoting a Psalm, or choosing a nondenominational poem. Most importantly, though, we hope that you take this opportunity to speak from the heart.

How to Say a Good, Short Thanksgiving Prayer

Blessing the meal at a gathering is a powerful way to unite everyone's focus and intentions. When it comes to saying Thanksgiving grace, there can be high expectations. However, the best prayers aren't perfect, but instead personal, and spoken from the heart. A prayer over the meal reminds guests of the meaning behind the holiday, which is to be thankful for our lives and the presence of our loved ones around us.

• When in doubt, borrow from scripture; you don't have to memorize a long passage - just including a favorite shorter quotation can help structure your prayer.
• Make it specific by mentioning your community and people that you're grateful for. You can do this by referring to events that you've shared with your friends and family. Give thanks for those who are joining you during your holiday, as well as those loved ones who couldn't make it to the celebration.

Quick and Sweet Thanksgiving Prayers

These simple thank-you prayers are short and sweet so that you can quickly get on with the meal. They're great for big families, especially those with children.

A Simple Grace for Meals

God, we thank you for this food.
For rest and home and all things good.
For wind and rain and sun above.
But most of all for those we love.

A Traditional Blessing

In a world where so many are hungry,
may we eat this food with humble hearts;
in a world where so many are lonely,
may we share this friendship with joyful hearts.

Traditional Grace

For what we are about to receive,
may the Lord make us truly thankful.
Amen.

A Child's Mealtime Blessing

Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.

A Humanist Meal Blessing

For the meal we are about to eat,
for those that made it possible,
and for those with whom we are about to share it,
we are thankful.

Inspiring Quotes and Poems of Gratitude and Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate love, family, and plenty. With these curated poems and quotes, you'll find the perfect words to make the moment even more special.

A Prayer for a Gathering

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, Amen.
~ Harry Jewell

Thanksgiving Day 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.
~ Mary Fairchild

A Prayer for the Welfare of Others

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.
~ Samuel F. Pugh

For Gratitude and Humility

O Lord, with humble hearts we pray
Thy blessing this Thanksgiving Day
And ask that at table place,
Where grateful folk say words of grace,
That Thou will come to share the yield
Thy bounty gave to farm and field.
We pray thy love will bless, O Lord,
Each hearth, each home, each festive board;
And that Thy peace will come to stay
Where candles glow, Thanksgiving Day.
~ Brian F. King

A Blessing for the Gifts of Creation

Thank you God for all that grows,
Thank you for the sky's rainbows,
Thank you for the stars that shine,
Thank you for these friends of mine,
Thank you for the moon and sun,
Thank you God for all you've done!
~ Aliceanne Pellegrino-Henricks

Gratitude for God's Gifts

Be present at our table, Lord
Be here and everywhere adored
Thy creatures bless and grant that we
May feast in paradise with thee.

We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food,
For life and health and every good;
By Thine own hand may we be fed;
Give us each day our daily bread.

We thank Thee, Lord, for this our good,
But more because of Jesus' blood;
Let manna to our souls be giv'n,
The Bread of Life sent down from Heav'n.
~ John Cennick

Inclusive Thanksgiving Blessings for Everyone

These Thanksgiving prayers and blessings offer inclusivity to the wider community by welcoming people from different backgrounds to your table. They're great for bringing distant friends and family into your celebration and making them part of your own family.

A Jewish Blessing

For the laughter of the children, for my own life breath, for the abundance of food on this table, for the ones who prepared this sumptuous feast, for the roof over our heads, the clothes on our backs, for our health, and our wealth of blessings, for this opportunity to celebrate with family and friends, for the freedom to pray these words without fear, in any language, in any faith, in this great country, whose landscape is as vast and beautiful as her inhabitants.
Thank you, God, for giving us all these. Amen.
~ Rabbi Naomi Levy

A Nondenominational Blessing for the Community

May we join hands around the dinner table to pray for the strength and patience to love one another. May our circle grow with every birth and union into a community united by love, rather than blood. May every hardship make our circle stronger. May it teach us that whenever we reach out in need, our hands will always be clasped in the palms of others.
~ Taz Tagore, from Seasons of Thanks

The Selkirk Grace

Some have meat but cannot eat,
some have none that want it;
But we have meat and we can eat,
So let the Lord be thanked.
~ attributed to Robert Burns

A Nondenominational Blessing of Gratitude

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.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Prayer for Thanksgiving Remembrance

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.
~ Abigail van Buren

Blessing Remembering Those Who Died

As we gather on this day of community, abundance, and gratitude, we hold close the memories of those no longer with us. Their presence lingers in our laughter, stories, and traditions. While we feel the weight of their absence, let us be thankful for the moments we shared, the love that remains, and the strength we find in each other on this day and always.
~ Louie Clyborne

A Grace for the Community

As we gather in unity, all the beautiful and diverse members of our community, we pause to reflect upon the abundance that surrounds us. In this moment, let us be grateful for the different lives, stories, and traditions that enrich our table. Let us find common ground, understanding, and a space to share today. May the bonds we forge uplift and strengthen us, and may the gratitude we share resonate throughout the year. Together, we celebrate the ties that bind and the love that unites.
~ Kip Alderidge

Christian Thanksgiving Prayers with Scriptures

Thanksgiving is a special time to give thanks for all the blessings we've received, and to prepare our hearts for those yet to come. These prayers, richly rooted in Christian scripture, provide a meaningful way to honor the goodness of God.

A Psalm of Providence

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
~ Psalm 107:8-9

A Psalm for God's Love

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
~ Psalm 136:1-3

To Rejoice and Give Thanks

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Praise for God's Gifts

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
~ Deuteronomy 8:10

Thanksgiving Prayer for the Harvest

Most gracious God, by whose knowledge the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down the dew: We yield thee hearty thanks and praise for the return of seed time and harvest, for the increase of the ground and the gathering in of its fruits, and for all other blessings of thy merciful providence bestowed upon this nation and people. And, we beseech thee, give us a just sense of these great mercies, such as may appear in our lives by a humble, holy, and obedient walking before thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost be all glory and honor, world without end. Amen.
~ The Book of Common Prayer

A Psalm of God's Joy

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.
It is he who 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.
~ Psalm 100:1-5

Grace for When Someone Is Missing

Gracious Lord, as we gather this Thanksgiving, with the bounty we have prepared through your gifts, and the warmth of our loved ones and family, we still feel the absence of a cherished soul from our midst. Though distance or circumstance keeps us apart, we carry them in our hearts, ever present in our memories and stories. We give thanks for the love that binds us, and for the joy and warmth that their spirit continues to bring to our lives. We ask that you provide for their continued health and prosperity, until we may all see each other again. Amen.
~ Olivia Loukides

Thanksgiving Prayer for a Family Who Lost a Loved One

Heavenly Father, as we gather this Thanksgiving, our hearts weigh heavy with the absence of our loved one. Yet, in our grief, we take solace in Psalm 147:3: "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
We find consolation in knowing that you are near to hear our prayers and to gift us with your eternal love and spirit. Amidst our grief, we thank you for your unwavering presence and love. We are grateful for all that you have offered us: the continued renewal of creation, and each blessing you bring forth. Amen.
~ Meagan Tuffley

The Blessings of Providence

Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray that thy gracious providence may give and preserve to our use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper all who labor to gather them, that we, who constantly receive good things from thy hand, may always give thee thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
~ The Book of Common Prayer

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
~ Matthew 6:9-13

Catholic Thanksgiving Prayer

Father, all of Creation rightly owes you thanks and praise. Your justice, love and mercy abound. We thank you this day for all that you have given us:

For the Passion and Death of your Divine Son, we thank you Father, through the Cross, He redeemed the world.

For the Church, we thank you Father, it is our beacon for salvation.

For the martyrs and saints who give testimony to your Son, we thank you Father, their witness to your Son is our inheritance.

For our loved ones and friends who have died and gone before us, we thank you Father, their love abides with us forever.

For loving spouses, we thank you Father, together we seek you.

For the gift of children, we thank you Father, they are your precious gifts to us and to the world.

For the gift of our families, loved ones and good friends, we thank you Father, Through them we see the reflection of your Son.

For jobs, our homes and all that we have, we thank you Father, give us only that which we need, as we seek Your Kingdom.

For the bounty we are about to eat, we thank you through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
~ Catholic Thanksgiving prayer

A General Thanksgiving Prayer

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.
~ The Book of Common Prayer

50 Thanksgiving Bible Verses

Looking for more Thanksgiving prayer ideas? Take a look at these inspiring Thanksgiving Bible verses and scriptures to reflect on God's blessings in your life and help you to express your gratitude and praise Him.

Happy Thanksgiving Wishes & Messages

If you're looking for some inspiring quotes and messages for the holidays, take a look at our Happy Thanksgiving Wishes & Messages and our Thanksgiving Messages for Teams.

Beautiful Thankful Quotes

For inspirational Thanksgiving quotes and quotes about gratitude, take a look at our collection of Thankful Quotes. And if you're interested in starting a practice of thankfulness as you learn to express your vivid internal life, check out our gratitude journal prompts.

Thanksgiving Coloring Pages for Kids & Adults

I hope you enjoyed reading these Thanksgiving prayer examples. As you prepare for the holiday festivities, keep the younger guests entertained with our Thanksgiving coloring pages, featuring a huge range of fun pictures to color in.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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