Before Digging In, Here Are 50 Thanksgiving Prayers To Share

Thanksgiving is known for the gathering of family and close friends at and around the table, but before everyone begins chowing down on the delicious Thanksgiving food, it's common to say a few poignant words of gratitude. Need some Thanksgiving blessing ideas for this year's celebration? We've got you covered! Here are 50 Thanksgiving prayers—some that will evoke major laughs and eye rolls and others that may lead to appreciative nods and a collective "Amen."

Whether you decide to give a reflective, motivational toast, share specific things you've been grateful for in 2023, say a quick blessing over the food, or give a long prayer before the meal, there are plenty of ways to kick off and commemorate the special occasion. Get inspired by funny Thanksgiving prayers and hilarious examples from various movies' dinner scenes, as well as feel stirred in your soul by Thanksgiving prayers from religious figures and Bible verses centered on giving thanks.

So, enjoy looking through these 50 unique Thanksgiving prayers and Thanksgiving blessings, and have fun figuring out which route you'd like to go this year for your own toast. And then try not to get too hungry thinking about all the marvelous, mouthwatering meals that will follow!

Related: 7 Ways To Redirect a Heated Conversation This Thanksgiving, According to a Therapist

50 Thanksgiving Prayers

1. "Father, for our food we thank You, and for our joys. Help us love You more. — Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

2. "From the smallest morsel to this mega feast, we are forever grateful. We take time now to give thanks and ask for blessings on this table." — Anonymous

3. "Bless the meat, damn the skin, open your kisser, and cram it in." — Anonymous

4. "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." — Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

5. "Oh God, You are so good. You are faithful and gracious and You have blessed me beyond measure. Thank you for everyday blessings to which I have become accustomed, but never want to take for granted: clean drinking water, electricity, food in my pantry, hot showers, a roof over my head, and a bed to sleep in. Thank you for legs that carry me where I need to go and hands that enable me to accomplish many things. Thank you for my hearing and my vision and for a sound, healthy mind. Thank you my family, my friends, my job, my neighbors. Thank you for freedom to attend my church, for my pastors, and for my small group(s) and my many relationships. Thank you for the things You are doing in my heart and in my life. I’m grateful that by the power of Your Holy Spirit, I am much different today than I was 10 years ago, or a year ago. I am even different that I was at the beginning of this year, and it’s because of Your power at work in me, continually transforming me into Your image. I love and adore You, Lord, and my heart overflows with gratitude for all these blessings. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen." — Julie K. Gillies

6. "Lord, we know without a doubt, You'll bless this food as we pig out." — Anonymous

7. "I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving." — Psalm 69:30

8. "Bless us oh Lord for these Thy gifts that we’re about to receive from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.” — Anonymous

9. "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." — Cecilia A. Moore, C. Vanessa White, and Paul M. Marshall

10. "Good bread, good meat, good God, let's eat." — Anonymous

Related: 40 Scriptures on Peace

11. "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." — Anonymous

12. "Earth Maker and Lord of all creation, we are mindful that this food before us has already been blessed by the sun, earth and rain. We pause to be grateful for the hidden gifts of life in this food. Bless our eyes and taste so that we may eat this food in a holy and mindful manner. We lift up this bread; may it be food and symbol for all of us who shall eat it." — Edward Hays

13. "Thank you for this food we'll eat, thank you for this meet and greet, thank you for the hands that hold the pots and the mixing bowl." — Anonymous

14. "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

15. "Lord, thank You for the food before us, the family and friends beside us and the love between us. Amen." — Anonymous

Related: 130 Irish Blessings

16. "Grateful for each hand we hold gathered round this table. From far and near we travel home, blessed that we are able. Grateful for this sheltered place with light in every window, saying, 'Welcome, welcome, share this feast, come in away from sorrow.' Father, mother, daughter, son, neighbor, friend and friendless; all together everyone in the gift of loving-kindness. Grateful for what's understood, and all that is forgiven; we try so hard to be good, to lead a life worth living. Father, mother, daughter, son, neighbor, friend, and friendless; all together everyone, let grateful days be endless. Grateful for each hand we hold gathered round this table." — Mary Chapin Carpenter

17. "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 has 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 to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations." — Psalm 100

18. "After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one's own relatives." — Oscar Wilde

19. "Thank You, God for this food. For rest and home. And all things good. For wind and rain and sun above. But most of all those we love. Amen." — Anonymous

20. "Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub." — Anonymous

21. "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." — Hebrews 13:15-16

22. "Be present at our table, Lord, be here and everywhere adored. Thy people bless, and grant that we may feast in paradise with Thee. Amen." — John Wesley

23. "Blessed are You, Lord God, King of the universe: You raised Your beloved Son from the dead, and made Him Lord of all. We turn to You in prayer and ask You to bless us and this food You have given us. Help us to be generous toward others, and to work with them so that they too may eat well. Loving Father, may we all celebrate together around Your table in heaven. We praise You and give You glory through Christ our Lord." — Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

24. "My tummies a-rumbling, so I'll stop this mumbling. Let's eat!" — Anonymous

25. "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our friends, family, and food." — Anonymous

Related: 35 Scriptures on Healing

26. "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." — John F. Kennedy

27. "Father, Son, Holy Ghost, pig is the one that eats the most. Dig in." — Anonymous

28. "O You who feeds the little birds, bless our food, O Lord." — Norwegian Prayer

29. "We love our bread, we love our butter, but most of all we love each other." — Madeline

30. "Come, Lord Jesus, our guest to be, and bless these gifts bestowed by Thee. And bless our loved ones everywhere, and keep them in Your loving care." — Moravian Prayer

31. "You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, and I will exalt You. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." — Psalm 118:28-29

32. "God in our waking, God in our speaking, God in our cooking, God in our eating, God in our playing, God in our digesting, God in our working, God in our resting." — Celtic Prayer

33. "For health and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy goodness sends." — Anonymous

34. "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." — Colossians 3:15-17

35. "Bless us, oh Lord, for these Thy gifts which we are about to receive. And yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of no food, I will fear no hunger. We want You to give us this day our daily bread. And to the republic for which it stands, and by the power invested in me, I pronounce us ready to eat. Amen." — Sister Act

Related: 300 Bible Trivia Questions

36. "There's always something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. Even if it's just not being a turkey." — Anonymous

37. "Lord God and Giver of all good gifts, we are grateful as we pause before this meal, for all the blessings of life that You give to us. Daily, we are fed with good things, nourished by friendship and care, feasted with forgiveness and understanding. And so, mindful of Your continuous care, we pause to be grateful for the blessings of this table. May Your presence be the extra taste to this meal which we eat in the name of Your Son, Jesus." — Edward Hays

38. "For food that stays our hunger, for rest that brings us ease, for homes where memories linger, we give our thanks for these." — Anonymous

39. "I Thank Thee
O Thou whose bounty fills my cup,
With every blessing meet!
I give Thee thanks for every drop—
The bitter and the sweet.
I praise Thee for the desert road,
And for the riverside;
For all Thy goodness hath bestowed,
And all Thy grace denied.
I thank Thee for both smile and frown,
And for the gain and loss;
I praise Thee for the future crown
And for the present cross.
I thank Thee for both wings of love
Which stirred my worldly nest;
And for the stormy clouds which drove
Me, trembling, to Thy breast.
I bless Thee for the glad increase,
And for the waning joy;
And for this strange, this settled peace
Which nothing can destroy." — Jane Crewdson

40. "Thank you for teaching me gratitude with this delicious bread and meat. Thank you for teaching me patience while waiting 'til time to eat. Thank you for teaching me faith, expecting food and never having doubts. Thank you for teaching me suffering by providing these brussels sprouts." — Anonymous

41. "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Amen.” — National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

42. "For food in a world where many walk in hunger; for faith in a world where many walk in fear; for friends in a world where many walk alone; we give you thanks, O Lord." — Anonymous

43. "O dear God, thank You. You are such a good God to us, a kind and gentle ... and accommodating God. And we thank You, O sweet, sweet Lord of hosts ... for the ... smorgasbord ... You have so aptly lain at our table this day ... and each day ... by day. Day by day by day. O dear Lord, three things we pray. To love Thee more dearly. To see Thee more clearly. To follow Thee more nearly ... day by day ... by day. Amen. Amen." — Meet the Parents

44. "Though our mouths were full of song as the sea, and our tongues of exultation as the multitude of its waves, and our lips of praise as the wide-extended firmament; though our eyes shone with light like the sun and the moon, and our hands were spread forth like the eagles of heaven, and our feet were swift as hinds, we should still be unable to thank thee and bless thy name, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, for one thousandth or one ten thousandth part of the bounties which thou has bestowed upon our fathers and upon us." — Hebrew Prayer

45. "We’re thirsty and we’re hungry, want something in our tummy. The food looks mighty yummy, and so we thank the Lord." — Anonymous

Related: 50 Thanksgiving Games

46. "Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for this food. Feed our souls on the bread of life and help us to do our part in kind words and loving deeds. We ask in Jesus' name." — Anonymous

47. "That was absurd, let's eat dead bird." — Home for the Holidays

48. "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

49. "Be present at our table, Lord. Be here and everywhere adored. Thy creatures bless and grant that we may feast in paradise with Thee." — John Cennick

50. "Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow men throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands this day their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give peace and joy." — Mother Teresa

Check out:
50 Thankful Quotes
100 Thanksgiving Instagram Captions
150 Thanksgiving Quotes
25 Christmas Prayers