30 Best Thanksgiving Prayers to Make the Day So Much More Meaningful

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

And already still November

Drapes 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

We give because someone gave to us.

We give because nobody gave to us.

We give because giving has changed us.

We give because giving could have changed us.

Giving has many faces.

—Alberto Rios

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

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

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 100:4-5

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.

—Edward Hays

I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.

—Psalm 69:30

Most Gracious and all wise God; Before whose face the generations rise and fall; Thou in whom we live, and move, and have our being. We thank thee [for] all of thy good and gracious gifts, for life and for health; for food and for raiment; for the beauties of nature and the love of human nature.

—Martin Luther King Jr.

O Thou, whose hand hath brought us

Unto this joyful day,

Accept our glad thanksgiving,

And listen as we pray.

—Frederick W. Goadby

We thank you, Lord, for food and friends, and for all of the joy this holiday lends. It's Thanksgiving Day and we can see the 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

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.

– Liz Curtis Higgs

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

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 for ever and ever.

—Walter Rauschenbusch

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.

—Harry Jewell

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

Thank 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

This food is the gift of the whole universe: the earth, the sky and much hard work. May we live in a way that makes us worthy to receive it. May we transform our own unskilled states of mind and learn to eat with moderation. May we take only foods that nourish us and prevent illness. We accept this food so that we may realize the path of understanding and love.

—Thich Nhat Hanh

Our Father, we give thanks for the time we have together to appreciate each other.
We give thanks for your presence which is shared at our table.
We give thanks for your abundant provisions.
We pray your guidance toward paths of righteousness and wisdom.
May our conversation be joyful, edifying and encouraging.
Strengthen us, O God, to share your good news and to serve where you call us.
We pray, humbly, in the name of Jesus, our Savior. Amen.

—Madge P. Williams

Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow, and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health, and for grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us.

–From "The Catholic Prayer Book," compiled by Msgr. Michael Buckley