thanksgiving prayers

the word thankful surrounded by symbols of leaves and acorns

The festival of Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated on the forth Thursday in November in the USA, and on the second Monday in October in Canada, with many other countries celebrating in a similar way during the Autumn season. Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest and the year just gone.

This page features several thanksgiving prayer examples, with prayers for the family, a grace prayer for meals, prayers for parents, and children and a school prayer for teenagers to say. Many of these prayers may also be used throughout the year as simple "thank you" prayers of gratitude to God. As Robert Caspar Lintner observes, "Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day".

what's on this page?

• a thanksgiving prayer for the family

• a rhyming thank you prayer for children say

• a thanksgiving prayer for teenagers

• a grace prayer for before a meal

• two prayers of thanks for the gift of children

• Quotes about giving thanks

short thanksgiving prayer film

A prayer which thanks God for his love and care through the changing seasons of life. Just under two minutes long:-

"He who thanks but with the lips thanks but in part; the full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart."
(J.A. Shedd)

Thanksgiving prayer for the family

Lord,

We feel so blessed to have been given such a wonderful family.
We ask that our roots would be deep in your love.
Fill our hearts, friendships and homes with your truth and forgiveness.
We thank you for each person, for their unique qualities and special characters.
Watch over each one and keep them safe,
Fill their lives with your goodness,
Inspire their hearts to follow you,
Bless the work of their hands,
And weave us all closer together.

Amen.

bible quote on thanks to God with yellow flowers in background

A thank you prayer for children

(a rhyming prayer suitable for primary school aged children to say)

Thank you God for sun and rain
That makes all things grow.
Thank you for the farmers
That work to reap and sow.
Thank you for the mums and dads
That make us lovely food.
Thank you God for everything
Your world is so wonderful.

a prayer of thanks

a beautiful prayer of thanks to God which celebrates His protection and love in our lives:-

A thanksgiving prayer for teenagers

(a rhyming prayer suitable for secondary or high school aged children for an assembly or church service)

Dear God,

You made a beautiful world,
With sun so warm and light.
With grain and fruit to nourish us,
With streams so clean and bright.

Help us to care and keep it safe,
With wisdom, thought and deed.
With respect for all it offers us
With generosity, not with greed.

We pray for those who suffer,
With lack of rain for crops.
With hunger and such poverty,
With war, grief and loss.

Guide us, as we work and play,
With strength to learn and share.
With grace to enjoy all we have,
With courage to change the world.

Amen.

Prayer to thank God for His goodness

We thank you Lord for your goodness, for each sound, from the breaking waves on the seashore to the intricate richness of musical instruments.
We thank you for every sight, from the vast mountain ranges to the beauty of roses in bloom.
We thank you Lord for each touch, from the warmth of a loved one’s hug to the shimmer of a gentle breeze.
We thank you Lord for every smell, from the freshness of a dewy morning to the fragrance of sweet vanilla.
We thank you for each taste, from the variety of colourful fruits to the delicate essence of fresh herbs.
We thank you Lord for each emotion, from the uplifting feeling of joy to the quiet reassurance of peace.
We thank you for every moment, from the exhilarating feeling of speed to the deep comfort of stillness.
You hold this beautiful world in perfect balance.

You are the author, creator, and maker of all things, we worship you.

Amen.

"Fill our hearts, friendships and homes with your truth and forgiveness"

quotes about giving thanks in the bible

"Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods."

(Psalm 95:2-3, NLT)

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever"

(1 Chronicles 16:34, NIV)

"The Lord protects and defends me;
I trust in him.
He gives me help and makes me glad;
I praise him with joyful songs."

(Psalm 28:7, GNT)

"God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart."
(Izaak Walton)

A prayer of thanks for children

(a parents prayer of thanksgiving)

Father God,

Thank you for these very special young lives. They burst with hope and joy and fill our days with such delight. Guide them and keep them each day. May they know your loving hand upon their lives and come to know you as friend and Father. Inspire their hearts as they grow and mature to be fully alive. Protect their minds, watch over their hearts, and lead them to great adventures.

Amen.

Short thanksgiving prayer for children

Let every child
Laugh and play
Love and smile
Everyday

Amen.

Short grace prayer for Thanksgiving Day

(suitable as a grace prayer before the meal)

Lord, you made a world full of goodness,
Filled with beauty, love and nourishment.
Now as we talk and eat and pray,
We praise you Lord for Thanksgiving day.