Holidays & Occasions Thanksgiving Ideas and Tips 30 Thanksgiving Prayers And Blessings To Offer Gratitude For Family And Friends Give thanks with these meaningful messages that embody what the day is about. By Nellah Bailey McGough Nellah Bailey McGough Nellah McGough runs the day-to-day operations in the Southern Living Birmingham office, responds to reader questions and comments, manages freelancer contracts, and invoices. She is also the co-host (with Steve Bender) of Ask Grumpy Podcast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 4, 2023 In This Article View All In This Article Traditional Verse Poetry Modern Thanksgiving Prayers Blessings for Everyone Close Photo: PeopleImages/Getty Images Once the table is set with your finest china, the turkey is out of the oven, and everyone is gathered around the table, there's one last thing to do before you enjoy your Thanksgiving meal. Give thanks for the bounty and friends and family with these meaningful Thanksgiving prayers and blessings that embody what the holiday is truly about. Southern Living Embracing Traditional Verse Traditional PrayerBless us, oh Lord,and these Thy giftswhich we are about to receivefrom Thy bountythrough Christ our Lord.Amen.— UnattributedA Thanksgiving PrayerO Lord, with humble hearts we praythy blessing this Thanksgiving Dayand ask that at table place,where grateful folk say words of grace,that Thou will come to share the yieldthy 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 wherecandles glow, Thanksgiving Day.— Brian F. KingWe Give ThanksOur Father in Heaven, we give thanks for thepleasure 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 strengthto carry on and try to live as You would have us.This we ask in the name of Christ, our Heavenly Father.—Harry JewellThe Lord's PrayerOur Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.—Matthew 6:9-13Thanksgiving Dinner PrayerHeavenly 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 King David's Song Of ThanksgivingGive thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.Let the whole world know what he has done.Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord.— 1 Chronicles 16:8–10 Giving ThanksLord, thank you so much. For Your gift of salvation and Your many promises that bring me hope, peace, and joy. May I see today all I have to be thankful for. In Jesus Christ’s Name, I pray, Amen.— Unattributed Amazon’s Cyber Week Sales Aren’t Over—Here Are Steals Up To 71% Off You Can Still Get Southern Living Invite Poetry To The Table Be PresentBe present at our table, Lord.Be here and everywhere adored.Thy creatures bless and grant that we mayfeast in paradise with Thee.—John Cennick Father, We Thank TheeFor 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 TheeFor health and food, for love and friends,for everything Thy goodness sends,Father in heaven, we thank Thee.—Ralph Waldo Emerson A Thanksgiving PrayerOh, God, when I have foodhelp me to remember the hungry;when I have work, help meto remember the jobless;when I have a warm home,help me to remember the homeless;when I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer;and remembering, help meto destroy my complacencyand bestir my compassion.Make me concerned enoughto help, by word and deed,those who cry outfor what we take for granted.—Samuel F. Pugh Thanksgiving BlessingO God, we thank you for this earth, our home;for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for thesalt sea and the running water, for theeverlasting hills and the never-resting winds,for trees and the common grass underfoot. We thank you for our senses by which we hearthe songs of birds, and see the splendorof the summer fields, and taste of the autumn fruits,and rejoice in the feel of the snow, and smell thebreath of the spring. Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;and save our souls from being so blindthat we pass unseeingwhen even the common thornbush is aflamewith your glory,O God our creator, Who lives and reignsforever and ever.—Walter Rauschenbusch Rest And ShelterFor each new morning with its light,for rest and shelter of the night,for health and food,for love and friends,for everything Thy goodness sends.— Ralph Waldo Emerson Thanksgiving PrayerHeavenly Father, on Thanksgiving DayWe bow our hearts to You and pray.We give You thanks for all You've doneEspecially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.For beauty in nature, Your glory we seeFor joy and health, friends and family,For daily provision, Your mercy, and careThese are the blessings You graciously share.So today we offer this response of praiseWith a promise to follow You all of our days.— Mary Fairchild We Give ThanksOur Father in Heaven,We give thanks for the pleasureOf gathering together for this occasion.We give thanks for this foodPrepared by loving hands.We give thanks for life,The freedom to enjoy it allAnd all other blessings.– Harry Jewell Thanksgiving TurkeyAnd already still NovemberDrapes her snowy table here.Fetch a log, then; coax the ember;Fill your hearts with old-time cheer;Heaven be thanked for one more year,And our Thanksgiving turkey!– George Parsons Lathrup When Giving Is All We HaveWe give because someone gave to us.We give because nobody gave to usWe give because giving has changed us.We give because giving could have changed us.Giving has many faces.– Alberto Rios Southern Living Modern Thanksgiving Prayers A Simple Grace For MealsGod, 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.— Unattributed A Blessing For the Gifts Of CreationThank 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 Abundant BlessingWe thank you for the turkey, the gravy, and the dressing.Dear Lord, this table overflows with Thy abundant blessing.Let us always be aware that all gifts come from You,and may we serve Your heavenly will in everything we do.Amen.— Joanna Fuchs Table BlessingThank You, God, for the food we are about to eat,for those who are here to share these blessings,for the generosity of our hosts that make this possible.Bless those who are here and those who are in our hearts,and all those who are not as fortunate on this day.Amen.— Patricia Gore A Prayer Of GratitudeLet 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 (this) 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 understandingamong all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist.— President John F. Kennedy A Humanist Meal BlessingFor 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.— Unattributed For Gratitude And HumilityO Lord, with humble hearts we prayThy blessing this Thanksgiving DayAnd ask that at table place,Where grateful folk say words of grace,That Thou will come to share the yieldThy 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 stayWhere candles glow, Thanksgiving Day.— Brian F. King Southern Living Blessings for Everyone A Child's Mealtime BlessingThank 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.— UnattributedBountiful ProvisionsFather, we thank you for your abundant mercy and grace toward us.We honor you this day as we gather together in a family full of gratitude.We thank you for this meal and the hands that prepared it.We thank you for your bountiful provisions.We ask that you equip and encourage us to serve others who are in need.May we be good stewards of your creation and of all our talents and blessings.We proclaim glory and honor to you.In the name of Jesus we pray.Amen.— Madge P. Williams Nothing To FearWe thank you, Lord, for food and friends,and for all of the joy this holiday lends.It's Thanksgiving Day and we can seethe blessings you've provided our family.Thanks to you, Lord, for another good year;When you watch over us, there's nothing to fear.— Karl Fuchs He Is GoodMake a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.Serve the LORD with gladness:come before his presence with singing.Know ye that the LORD he is God:it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,and into his courts with praise:be thankful unto him, and bless his name.For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting;and his truth endureth to all generations.— Psalm 100 Gratitude For God's GiftsBe present at our table, LordBe here and everywhere adoredThy creatures bless and grant that weMay 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 A Prayer For GatheringOur 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 A Non-Denominational Blessing For The CommunityMay 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 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit