As you gather with friends and family around the table this Thanksgiving, here are a 5 Thanksgiving prayers that are some of our favorites. These prayers are from a variety of sources and weren’t necessarily intended for the Thanksgiving holiday, but rather they reflect the spirit of gratitude we should have all year long, and would be perfect to say as you gather with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Psalm 100 (ESV):
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;[a] we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
The Doxology (can be said or sung):
Praise God from whom all blessing flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Amen
From Garrison Keillor:
O Lord we thank Thee for this food,
for every blessing, every good,
for earthly sustenance and love
bestowed on us from heaven above.
Be present at our table, Lord.
Be here and everywhere adored.
Thy children bless and grant
that we may feast in paradise with Thee.
From the Book of Common Prayer (A Litany of Thanksgiving):
Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so
freely bestowed upon us.For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and
sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women,
revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and
our friends,
We thank you, Lord.For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering
and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and
promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the
Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Psalm 95:1-7
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
