Thanksgiving prayers are an essential part of expressing your gratitude and joining in fellowship with family and friends. Bless your Thanksgiving dinner with these prayers and give thanks for the many gifts from God this holiday season!
Thanksgiving Day is commonly celebrated in the United States and Canada to remember the harvest and blessings of the past year. This holiday for gathering and gratitude falls on the fourth Thursday of November. The celebration customarily involves sharing a meal that includes dishes such as turkey, pumpkin pie, stuffing, potatoes, and cranberries.
The Thanksgiving holiday is attributed to the English Pilgrims in Plymouth, who held the first harvest feast along with Native Americans back in October 1621. The Pilgrims did this to express their gratitude to the Native Americans for allowing them to begin new lives there. Eventually, Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday in the US, falling on the last Thursday of November.
Thanksgiving Day is cherished as a time for family to gather together. It is a time for loved ones to reconnect with their homes and have a good time with relatives and past relations.
Because the spirit of Thanksgiving is grounded on gratitude, it’s very important to celebrate this holiday with prayer. We ought to thank God who is the source of all the blessings we receive.
In line with this Thanksgiving spirit, here are four prayers to guide you on that special day.
4 Thanksgiving Prayers & Blessings
A Prayer for Thanksgiving Day
As we celebrate this day, we would like to give thanks to You, Father God, source of all blessings. From the earth to the sky to the sea, and everything else You have created, we stand in awe. We cannot help but be grateful for the wonderful creation that you have entrusted to us.
As we see Your creation all around us, may we not forget You, God, the Creator of all things. May we not take these things for granted. May we be good stewards of these things You have generously entrusted to us.
Even every hour of every day, God, is part of Your creation. Teach us to use our days wisely. Allow us to make every moment count. Bless this day, and may we give honor to You in our celebrations for today.
In your Name, we ask all these, Amen.
A Thanksgiving Prayer for Family
Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this gathering today, to have this opportunity to unite in this joyful day in your name. We thank you for the good physical and mental health, and we recognize and acknowledge that it is you behind all the beauty in the world. We rejoice before the meal in front of us and we are deeply grateful for the warm food and the warmth of togetherness you have bestowed on our family.
Father God, we ask your guidance for the continued love in our family and the total comfort felt by your presence as the center of our lives. We also ask that you guide our extended families wherever they may be today, and we pray that they continue with their endeavors under the guidance of your light. Lord, thank you for everything: for your blessings, and for your comfort.
In your Name, we pray, Amen.
Prayer for a Thankful Heart
Heavenly Father, we confess that at times, we are not as thankful as we should be. Our hearts are often calloused and we forget that there are many reasons to be grateful. We neglect to count the many blessings You have given us and quick to forget the kindness that other people express to us. We even judge others when they do not behave as we expect them to. We take a lot of these things in our lives for granted.
Father God, please forgive us for our sins of ingratitude. Soften our calloused hearts, cleanse our minds from judgmental thoughts, and take away our pride. Instead, allow us to have hearts that are always thankful to You, our families, our friends, and the people around us.
As we celebrate this day of Thanksgiving, allow us, God, to really exhibit the spirit of the occasion. As we gather with our families and loved ones, may we express our gratitude to them in many ways. May our hearts be always filled to the brims with gratitude, and through this, may we be able to extend our gratitude to the ones we love as well.
Even as this season ends, continue to grant us thankful hearts, Father God. Protect us from pride, selfishness, and envy. Let not these bad emotions fill our hearts. Instead, we ask you to always fill our hearts with gratitude.
In Your name, we pray, Amen.
A Prayer of Thanks and Gratitude to God
Our Father in heaven, we recognize that You are the source of everything. Every good and wonderful thing we enjoy in this world comes from You. You deserve the praise and glory, and we give it all to You today.
We come before you today to worship you on this occasion. If there is anyone we must give thanks to first, it is You, God. We would like to honor you on this special day. Before we enjoy our food, the company of our loved ones, and the festivities ahead, we want to give thanks to You first. You have provided us with all these things, and we will always be thankful to You.
As we celebrate this special season, God, please continue to shower us with Your blessings. We acknowledge that without You, we would be nothing, but with You, we have all these things. Prepare our hearts, God, to give You thanks as we commemorate this special holiday.
In your Name, we pray, amen.
Learn more from Bible Verses about Prayer
Pray with Thanksgiving Gratitude
Thanksgiving will be a day of fun, family, and food. Lots of food. While it’s a great idea to enjoy the festivities, it is also nice to always remember where all your blessings come from. It is always good to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving alive. It’s not just about the food or the people we enjoy eating with. Rather, it’s more about giving thanks to our Heavenly Father who supplies our every need.
This Thanksgiving Day, may we not be distracted by the preparations, the happy times, and the fun we would be having on that day. While that’s all well and good, those things are only temporary. The fun will only last for a day. After that, it’s back to normal again.
What’s more important is a continual attitude of gratitude. That doesn’t just go away after a day. An attitude lasts for a lifetime. And this attitude will shape our lives for the better.
See our Daily Inspirational Prayers for Encouragement
An attitude of gratitude brings a lot of good things to us. When we are grateful, we are happier and fulfilled. When we are always thankful, chances are we complain less. In turn, we become less angry, less negative, and we have the potential for fewer bad days. The people around us will see the changes in our composure. And when we pass on the attitude of gratitude to them, their lives will also be made better.
How can we have this attitude of gratitude? Prayer is important. We need to ask our Father God to always give us a heart that is thankful. Not just once, but every single day of our lives.
Author of this article: Pearl Dy
This article is part of our larger Thanksgiving Resource Library. Learn about the first Thanksgiving, what Thanksgiving means in the Bible, how to get along with your family, and ways you can make this celebration more meaningful.
The First Thanksgiving
30 Days of Gratitude
Thankful Bible Verses
Thanksgiving Bible Verses
Examples of Thanksgiving in the Bible
Calming Thanksgiving Prayers for Moms
Encouraging Prayers for Thankfulness
Things That Will Make Your Thanksgiving Better
How to Celebrate When There’s an Empty Chair
How to Celebrate without the Usual Big Meal
Thanksgiving Prayers & Blessings from the Heart
Thanksgiving Dinner Prayers to Bless Your Meal
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