Thanksgiving is one of the few days a year when almost everyone sits at the same table, and someone usually looks around and asks, “Who wants to pray?” If your heart just jumped a little, this page is for you.
Below you’ll find short Thanksgiving prayers you can read aloud in under 30 seconds, table graces for every kind of family, a prayer for a hard year, and Bible verses to share. Copy them, screenshot them, or read straight from your phone. God isn’t grading the words. He loves a grateful heart.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
Short Thanksgiving prayers to read aloud
Perfect when everyone is hungry and the food is getting cold.
1. A 10-second Thanksgiving prayer
Lord, thank you for this food, this family and your faithful love. Amen.
2. A simple Thanksgiving table prayer
Father, thank you for every hand that made this meal and every person around this table. Bless this food, bless our time together, and help us remember that every good gift comes from you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
3. A Thanksgiving prayer kids can lead
Dear God, thank you for our food, our family and our friends. Thank you for loving us. Amen.
4. A rhyming Thanksgiving grace
For food and friends and family near,
for every blessing through the year,
for love that holds us, strong and true,
we give our thanks, O Lord, to you. Amen.
5. A one-breath prayer for a busy kitchen
Lord, in the noise and the rush, thank you. Let this table be full of peace. Amen.
Thanksgiving table grace for the whole family
A traditional Thanksgiving blessing
Gracious God, we come to this table with thankful hearts. Thank you for the harvest, for the work of farmers and grocers and cooks, and for the gift of being together. Thank you for the blessings we noticed this year and for the ones we didn’t. Bless this food to our bodies and our time to your glory. Make us generous with what we’ve been given. In Jesus’ name, amen.
A prayer for family at Thanksgiving
Father, thank you for this family, with all our different personalities, opinions and stories. Thank you for the ones who traveled far and the ones who made it home. Help us listen well today, laugh easily, forgive quickly and speak kindly. Let our home be a place where everyone feels welcome. Amen.
For more prayers like this, see the prayer for family.
A prayer for friends and guests (Friendsgiving)
Lord, thank you for friends who feel like family. Thank you for every person at this table, and for the ones who are far from home today. Let this meal be a small picture of your kindness. Amen.
A Thanksgiving prayer after a hard year
Not every Thanksgiving comes after a good year. Maybe this was the year of a diagnosis, a lost job, a broken relationship or a long season of anxiety. Gratitude doesn’t mean pretending. Scripture says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all of them.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
Lord, this year was hard, and you know every part of it. I won’t pretend it wasn’t. But I’m still here, and you are still good. Thank you for the people who carried me, for the mornings I made it through, and for the small mercies I almost missed. Thank you that your compassions never fail and they are new every morning. Teach me to give thanks today with an honest heart, and walk with me into next year. Amen.
If anxiety makes the holidays heavy, take the free 2-minute anxiety check-in for a prayer and verses matched to where you are.
A Thanksgiving prayer when someone is missing
If there’s an empty chair at your table this year, you can hold gratitude and grief in the same prayer:
Lord, we thank you for this food and for the people around this table. We also remember the one who isn’t here. Thank you for the love they gave us, which is still in this room. Comfort every heart that is hurting today. Amen.
We put together a full page of prayers, verses and small, practical steps for grieving during the holidays. The prayer for grief may help too.
Bible verses for Thanksgiving
Read one before the prayer, or ask a child to read it aloud.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Psalm 100:4 (NIV)
“The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.”
Psalm 118:24 (NIV)
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Colossians 3:15 (NIV)
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
To close the meal, you can pray the old blessing from Numbers over the people at your table:
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)
How to lead a prayer at the Thanksgiving table
- Keep it short. 20 to 40 seconds is plenty. The food is hot and the kids are hungry.
- Name one or two specific things. “Thank you that Grandma is out of the hospital” means more than a long list.
- Include everyone. Go around the table and let each person say one thing they’re thankful for, then close in prayer.
- Remember people who are missing, and those who are spending today alone or working.
- Read it from your phone if you need to. Nobody minds. Bookmark this page.
Want gratitude to last past November? Try a gratitude prayer each morning, or find a short prayer for any moment on what to pray when.
Free for the holiday season: get 7 Nights of Peace, a short bedtime prayer in your inbox each night for a week, and browse all our free Christian anxiety resources.
Frequently asked questions
What is a short prayer for Thanksgiving dinner?
“Lord, thank you for this food, this family and your faithful love. Amen.” It takes about 10 seconds, and anyone, including kids, can pray it.
What Bible verse is good for Thanksgiving?
Psalm 107:1 is a favorite: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 100:4 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 are also often read at the table.
How do I pray at Thanksgiving when I’m not feeling thankful?
Be honest with God. You can thank him for one small thing and tell him what hurts in the same prayer. Giving thanks in hard circumstances is not pretending; it’s trusting that God is still good and still with you.
Keep reading
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.