Prayer for thanksgiving to god

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather with family and friends and reflect on the blessings of the last year. Many of us experience renewed hope and faith during the Thanksgiving holiday because we turn our eyes onto what is most important. What if we spent time each day in giving thanks and prayer? How could God grow out faith and trust if we lived a life of thanks through all seasons and not just Thanksgiving time? When your heart is filled with gratitude, there is little room to worry or complain.

We would love to encourage and help you along the way toward greater hope and joy! Below are 9 thanksgiving prayers you can use not only for Thanksgiving day but throughout the year. Start living out the promises of God that Jesus came “that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10. 

Prayer 1: A Daily Thanksgiving Prayer

“Dear God, Thank you for your amazing power and work in our lives, thank you for your goodness and for your blessings over us. Thank you for your great love and care. Thank you for your sacrifice so that we might have freedom and life. Forgive us for when we don’t thank you enough, for who you are, for all that you do, for all that you’ve given. Help us to set our eyes and our hearts on you afresh. Renew our spirits, fill us with your peace and joy. We love you and we need you, this day and every day. We give you praise and thanks, for You alone are worthy! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
– Debbie McDaniel, Crosswalk.com Contributor

Prayer 2: A Prayer for a Thankful Heart

“Lord, teach me to offer you a heart of thanksgiving and praise in all my daily experiences of life. Teach me to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks in all my circumstances. I accept them as Your will for my life (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I long to bring pleasure to Your heart daily. Break the power of the enemy in my life. Defeat Him through my sacrifice of praise. Change my outlook and attitude into one of joyful contentment with my present circumstances. I thank You for…

Jesus, I want to be like You who obeyed the Father without complaint. You embraced the chains of humanity when You walked this earth. Convict me whenever I complain or compare myself with others. Give me Your attitude of humility and thankful acceptance. I want to be like the Apostle Paul who learned contentment in every circumstance. I choose to continually offer You a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that give praise to Your name (Hebrews 13:15). I long to bring a smile to Your face. Teach me the power of a thankful heart. I know that Your truth dwells in a thankful heart.

“I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 7:17-18:1). In Jesus’ name, amen.”
– Debbie Przybylski, Intercessors Arise International

Prayer 3: A Short Prayer of Thanks

“God, sometimes life gets me down and I find it hard to see things to be thankful for. Open my eyes to see the gifts you’ve given me in my life. I’m going to start by thanking you for loving me enough to come to earth and die so we can live together forever. Amen.”
– Wendy van Eyck, Contributor

Prayer 4: A Prayer for Thanksgiving Day

Father God, today I thank You for the provisions of my life…
I thank You for the people in my life…
I thank You for the opportunities You have given to me in my life…
I thank You for the acceptance and forgiveness You have lavished upon me in spite of my sinful actions and choices…

I thank You for the healing You have brought into my life—physical and emotional… I thank You for the way You have brought me back from the darkness that
lurks in my soul and the choices I could have made that would have landed
me in a pit—or the choices I have made that did land me in a pit…
I thank You for the desires of my heart that You have satisfied with good things…

And the desires that I have not yet seen satisfied. Help me to be confident because of the grace You have given to me in so many others ways, that even my unmet desires would be something I could be grateful for…Amen.
Excerpted with permission from Day 31 of Prayers for Today (Moody Publishers, 2011) by Pastor Kurt Bjorklund.

Prayer 5: A Prayer to Teach Kids Thankfulness

“Lord, I pray that the message of Christ and his sacrifice is the root of gratitude in my heart. That His gracious gift leads me to thankful living, setting an example for my children. That they will have their own relationship with Jesus one day, and that You would grow gratitude in their hearts out of the acceptance of Jesus as their Savior. Lead us to do everything in the name of Jesus and give thanks to You through Him.”
– Marie Osborne, Contributor

Prayer 6: A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

“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.”
– “Dear Abby” Columnist

Prayer 7: Thanksgiving Song (makes a wonderful prayer!)

“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 whats 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 – Thanksgiving Song Lyrics 

Prayer 8: A Prayer of Thanks for Our Many Blessings

“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.”
excerpt from 3 Grateful Prayers to Prepare Your Heart for Thanksgiving by Julie K. Gillies

Prayer 9: 17 Statements of Gratitude

“Thank you, God for the times You have said “no.” They have helped me depend on You so much more.
Thank you, God, for unanswered prayer. It reminds me that You know what’s best for me, even when my opinion differs from Yours.
Thank You, Lord, for the things you have withheld from me. You have protected me from what I may never realize.
Thank You, God, for the doors You have closed. They have prevented me from going where You would rather not have me go.
Thank you, Lord, for the physical pain You’ve allowed in my life. It has helped me more closely relate to Your sufferings on my behalf.
Thank you, Lord, for the alone times in my life. Those times have forced me to lean in closer to You.
Thank you, God, for the uncertainties I’ve experienced. They have deepened my trust in You.
Thank You, Lord, for the times You came through for me when I didn’t even know I needed a rescue.
Thank You, Lord, for the losses I have experienced. They have been a reminder that You are my greatest gain.
Thank You, God, for the tears I have shed. They have kept my heart soft and mold-able.
Thank You, God, for the times I haven’t been able to control my circumstances. They have reminded me that You are sovereign and on the throne.
Thank You, God, for those people in my life whom You have called home to be with You. Their absence from this earth keeps my heart longing for heaven.
Thank You, God, that I have an inheritance in the heavenly places…something that this world can never steal from me and I could never selfishly squander.
Thank You, God, for the greatest gift You could ever give me: forgiveness through Your perfect Son’s death on the cross on my behalf.
Thank You, God, for the righteousness You credited toward me, through the death and resurrection of Jesus. It’s a righteousness I could never earn or attain on my own.
Thank You, Father, that You know me, You hear me, and You see my tears. Remind me through difficult times that You are God, You are on the throne, and You are eternally good.
And thank You, Lord, not only for my eternal salvation, but for the salvation You afford every day of my life as You save me from myself, my foolishness, my own limited insights, and my frailties in light of Your power and strength.”
– Cindy McMenamin, Author

Thanksgiving Prayers from Scripture:

Psalm 95 – “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods…”
Psalm 100 – “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 made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 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 118:29 – “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
Psalm 103: 1-5 – “Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Psalm 136:1-5 – “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. “

Read more Bible Verses for Thanksgiving at BibleStudyTools.com

Image courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray.

Prayer for Healing

Prayer for StrengthPrayer for ProtectionMorning PrayersGood Night PrayersThe Prayer of JabezShort PrayersThe Lord’s PrayerSerenity PrayerA Birthday PrayerPrayer for ForgivenessIntercessory PrayerIrish Prayers and BlessingsAdvent PrayersChristmas PrayersThanksgiving PrayerEaster Prayers  

Now available is our new Daily Prayer devotional! An easy way to find start your day with prayer, read today’s prayer and sign up to receive by email.

www.crosswalk.com

The Bible tells us “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). It’s important to have faith in God when you can’t see the way but how can you offer God praise when you’re dealing with hardship and pain? The choices you make in these moments are so important. They can propel you toward God or away from Him. You can find God in the hard times by choosing to trust and hope when we can’t see the way. This will help us turn to praise and glorify God better.

According to Scripture, praise is an act of our will that flows out of us through reverence of God. Our God is worthy of praise. Revelations 5:11-14 speaks of a voice of a thousand angels around God’s throne, singing in a mighty chorus “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain – to receive powers and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing”. When we give glory to God, it opens us up to a more intimate relationship with Him.

God is present come rain or shine. He is even present when we fail to realize it. It’s important that we not only turn our focus back to praise when we begin to lose hope but also that we turn to praise in times of abundance. Many of us are quick to question God when things go wrong, but slow to honor Him when things go well. One of the biggest challenges here is turning every blessing He pours into our lives back into praise. One way we can do this is through gratitude. Thanksgiving is a great way for us as Christians to take steps into worship. Psalm 100 exhorts this and us: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His spirits with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name” (Psalm 100: 4-5). In order to have a heart of gratitude, we must acknowledge God. Here are six prayers to thank God.

Thank You For Loving Me

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for forgiving me. Thank You for showing me my worthiness and for pursuing me. I am in awe of You Lord! I submit my heart to you Lord. May Your Holy Spirit transform me and make me like You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thank You For My Countless Blessings

Heavenly Father, I want to thank You for my countless blessings. I thank You not only for the food I have to eat, lovingly prepared for me, but also for spiritual gifts, in particular the loved ones I cherish dearly, a comfortable place to live, the beauty that surrounds me, health, and spiritual wealth to name a few. I acknowledge you for the countless blessings You’ve provided. I thank You for giving us clear direction through Your Holy Word. Through good and bad times, help me to see that we are blessed beyond measure. Amen.

Thank You For Waking Me Up

Heavenly Father, on this day I give You thanks for waking me up this morning and starting me on my way. Today, I ask that I recognize how blessed I am – that I may be spiritually transformed. Help me to not wake up with a complaining spirit, an attitude and dwelling on yesterday’s problems. Instead, I ask that You change our complaining to thanksgiving, our attitude to love and that I turn all my problems and stress over to You. In Your Holy name I pray. Amen.

Thank You For Every Good and Perfect Gift

Heavenly Father, I humbly come before You with a grateful heart, praising You with all my being, for I know that every good and perfect gift comes from You –The One who never changes. I recognize those good things, both large and small, with which You have blessed me. As I lift up this prayer, I also recognize our forgetfulness in giving You thanks each and every day. Forgive me. May I learn to thank You for the good; And may I trust the evil to be made good by You. For You alone are worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. Amen.

Thank You For Those I Love and Those in Need

Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for blessing me. Today, I pray not only for my loved ones, but also for those around me in positions of need. 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; help me to have compassion for those around me, and be concerned enough to help; By word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen.

Thank You For Your Grace and Generosity

Heavenly Father, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon me and receive my heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. I acknowledge You for all gifts and blessings You have bestowed upon us: food and shelter, health, love we have for one another, my family and friends. I thank you for Your infinite generosity. Please grant me continued Grace and blessings throughout the coming year. In Your Holy Name we pray. Amen.

When we focus our minds in the direction of God and proclaim His goodness, we reflect His glory. When we do this, we are filled with peace and contentment. This can help shift our outlook related to our circumstances. Finding God in the hard times can be particularly difficult. That’s why it’s so important to choose trust and hope when you can’t see the way.

God has blessed us with so much. We can’t acknowledge what we have without thanking God, our Heavenly Father, who gave us the gift of life and from whom all blessings flow. Praise God for He is good and His mercy endures forever.

www.beliefnet.com

Thanksgiving prayer points. General Bible suggestions how to pray to God. Thanksgiving keeps us in a right standing with God. “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians. 5:18).

We are indebted to God because all that we have comes from Him. We don’t deserve the gift of life and all the blessings attached to it, but He gave it to us freely. So, God deserves our thanksgiving prayer points. When we thank God for being the giver of all good gifts, we realize that we could not even exist without His blessings. Returning thanks to the giver of all, shows God that we are grateful for what He has done.

God is waiting for our gratitude

We must come to that state of knowing that all we have comes from God. He expects us to show gratitude for all His benefits towards us (James 1:17). Imbibing a daily attitude of rendering thanksgiving prayer points to God will drive our focus on blessings rather than our wants. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

It is important to thank God for yesterday, today and tomorrow

We are instructed to thank God for everything, whether good or bad (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Thanking God in the midst of the challenges of life, takes out grief and sadness away from us. But when we live a life void of thankfulness to God, we become self-centered and arrogant. Then pride creeps into our heart.

As Christians, It is very important to daily pray Thanksgiving prayer points. It will help build our relationship with God. The fact that we all have reasons to be thankful, justifies why the prayer of thanksgiving is very important.

Thanksgiving prayer points

Every thanksgiving prayer we render to God as the fruit of our lips builds our love for God. It also proves our unshakable faith in Him. Every moment of days is not even enough to count your blessings and pray thanksgiving prayer points. Nothing we have is actually really ours. It all belongs to Him. Bible, Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein”.

Related: THANKSGIVING DINNER PRAYER Thanksgiving Day

General Bible suggestions how to pray to God

The following are a few thanksgiving prayer points to God to express our gratitude to Him for all His benefits towards us.

• Pray and thank the Lord for bringing you this far and for all His benefits towards you: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation” (Psalm 68:19).

His grace is what made all His good gifts available to us. This is why we are obliged to pray Thanksgiving prayer points until our last breath. It is important to thank God for yesterday, today and tomorrow. We must cultivate the daily habit of showing gratitude to God.  Knowing that we don’t deserve all the gifts we are receiving from God, should cause us to give Him thanks at all times and for all things.

• Pray and thank God for always been there whenever you call on Him, and for His protection, provision, and strength upon your life (Psalm 18:3).

We need to thank our creator for His breath upon us, for His presence that strives with us, for our daily bread that comes from Him, for His never-ending protection and guidance, the list goes on and on. All these are the wonders of His works. Thank Him!

• Pray and thank God for the precious gift of Salvation.“The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation” (Psalm 18:46).

We need to pray and thank God for giving us His only begotten son Jesus Christ, to die for our sins in order to reconcile us back to Himself. This has brought us redemption and given us access to enjoying His grace. We don’t deserve it, but he gave it to us freely, so we should thank God for this.

• Thank God for making you victorious over sin and over all the devices of the devil: “But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Christians face temptations, trials and troubles oftentimes in life journey. All these are the devices the enemy’s uses in order to cause us to sin. But God has given us victory and is still giving us: This is a great thing God has done for us!

• Pray and thank God for the privilege to be at His service and to tell of His wonderful works to others. “O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people” (Psalm 105:1).

Throughout the Bible, especially in the book of Psalms, Thanksgiving Prayers are proclaimed by people who are opportune to carry out God’s purpose and task. The relevance is to remind us of what God has done for us, thereby showing God’s glory to others.

• Daily enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with Praises, bless His holy name (Psalm 100:4).

Prayer of thanksgiving should be a daily lifestyle for all Christians. It should be as natural to us as breathing. Doing this will make God know that we are very thankful to Him and that He’s always being there for us (Ephesians 5:20).

The importance of thanksgiving cannot be overemphasized. Thanksgiving and praise intertwine. You can’t effectively praise God without also being thankful to Him. When you use this thanksgiving prayer points and make it a habit of thanking God for what He has done, it brings you to the platform of receiving greater blessings from Him. He alone deserves our praise.

• Also read:
• THANKSGIVING PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY
• THANKSGIVING PRAYER – Ultimate Prayer Guide
• SHORT THANKSGIVING PRAYER – one for each day of the week

prayray.com

Thanksgiving Prayer: Is there an official Thanksgiving Prayer?
A Thanksgiving prayer brings to mind a festive table filled with turkey, cranberries, and other traditional dishes. Families surround the table with mouths watering as young cousins eyeball pumpkin pies with whipped cream. Before the turkey is carved, the family joins hands with heads bowed and offers words of thanks for the meal spread before them.

There is no official ‘Thanks to God’ but prayers of gratitude have been offered since long before the 1620 American tradition began. It is the source by which the Pilgrims decided to begin with a prayer of thanks at this historic feast shared with the Wampanoag Indians. Years later, both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving history with their Thanksgiving proclamations.

Thanksgiving Prayer: Where did the idea come from?
For a way to express their thankfulness for survival and the first harvest, the deeply religious Pilgrims looked to the Bible. They found the celebrated Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), or Feast of Ingathering. The ingathering of Israelites (delivered from the desert of Sinai) and their harvest were celebrated in this feast and is the most joyous of all feasts still today (Leviticus 23).

Another reference to giving thanks is found in the account of ‘setting’ what Samuel called the Ebenezer Stone. This was a memorial to remind them to be grateful for God’s help during an attack from the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:10-12). Actually, the Bible speaks of giving thanks nearly from cover to cover. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

All early celebrations had one common theme — God. Thanksgiving was directed toward God, their Creator, Protector, and Provider. They believed that all good things ultimately came from Him as they do today. Other verses that include thanks can be read in Psalm 100:4, Psalm 105:1 and 1 Corinthians 15:57.

Thanksgiving Prayer: How to offer prayers of giving Thanks
Prayers are simply communication to God. They may be a memorized or formal prayer, or they may be words spoken simply but sincerely from the heart. God hears and honors them all (see 1 John 5:14).

A simple children’s prayer goes like this:

Thank you God for all that grows,
Thank you for the sky’s rainbows,
Thank you for the stars that shine,
Thank you for these friends of mine,
Thank you for the moon and sun,
Thank you God for all you’ve done! A Thanksgiving Day prayer, by Brian F. King, says:

O Lord, with humble hearts we pray
Thy blessing this Thanksgiving Day
And ask that at table place,
Where grateful folk say words of grace,
That Thou will come to share the yield
Thy bounty gave to farm and field.
We pray thy love will bless, O Lord,
Each hearth, each home, each festive board;
And that Thy peace will come to stay
Where candles glow, Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Prayer: Writing your own Thanksgiving prayer
Do you desire to lead your family in a Thanksgiving prayer? Consider these questions as a way of preparing for your prayer:

What were the major events that took place in your family this year?

Did your family grow in number, through weddings or births?

Did your family experience hard times? If so, consider what you learned from each situation.

Who are the members of your family? Name one quality that you’re thankful for in each person.

Learn More About Praising God.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

– We have all

sinned

and deserve God’s judgment.

God

, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him.

Jesus

, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He

died

for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was

buried

, and

rose from the dead

according to the

Bible

. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your

Savior

, declaring, “

Jesus is Lord

,” you will be saved from

judgment

and spend eternity with God in heaven.

What is your response?

Yes, today I am deciding to follow JesusYes, I am already a follower of JesusI still have questions

www.allaboutprayer.org