A Beautiful Prayer For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a tradition that is widely practiced in the United States. It started with the Pilgrims, who went to America in the 1600s to settle. Unfortunately, a lot of those colonists died in their first winter. After that, there was a time when their food rations were also low. Fortunately, they met some traders and exchanged what they had for some food supplies. These Pilgrims met some native Americans, who taught them how to farm for their food and all the other things they needed to know to survive, such as fishing. After their harvest, they thanked God for it and celebrated and feasted. That is known as the first Thanksgiving. There were other similar instances as the tradition continued until President Lincoln, who in 1863 set aside the last Thursday of November for celebrating “Thanksgiving.” In 1941, “Thanksgiving” became an official holiday, observed every 4th Thursday of November.

How do you thank God for all His blessings?

Thanksgiving is about God, specifically about giving thanks to Him; hence the word “thanksgiving.” But what do we give thanks for? As mentioned before, we thank God for His grace and mercy in our lives. The reason you had something to eat throughout this year is because of God’s grace in your life. You were also able to enroll in getting an education only because of God’s grace in your life. If you are a businessperson, your business is still there only because of God’s grace. You are still breathing because of God’s grace and mercy in your life. It is impossible to have nothing to be thankful to God for, even if you have life hardships. Not having the latest smartphone you wanted is an invalid reason to be ungrateful.

So worship God and sing praises to Him. You can pray this sample prayer as you give thanks to God:

Father, I thank You because You have always been faithful to my loved ones and me. Father, we thank You for Your grace and mercy in our lives. We may usually overlook it, but we thank You that we could have something to eat throughout the year. Even if we encountered great hardships this year, we thank You because we are still here. Open my eyes to all the things that You have done for me, even those subtle ones, because despite how hard life can be, there is always something to be grateful for. Help us cultivate a heart of gratitude so that in everything, whether in good times or in bad times, we will always praise, worship, and give thanks to You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

What does God say about being thankful?

The Bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances, for that is the will of God for us. We are to remember the things that the Lord has done for us. Gratitude should automatically abide in a Christian because a genuine Christian is contented and has joy in Christ; they are humbled, knowing that everything is ours only because of God’s grace. The Pilgrims encountered great hardships as they set out and settled into uncharted territories. They lost a lot of people in their first winter. They went through a season where food was scarce. Learning how to survive there was not easy, yet instead of grumbling at God, they gave thanks for His graces and mercies in their lives; that they were still alive, were able to eat, and had met some Indians who helped them learn what they needed to learn to survive. A grateful heart changes how we see life, even amid hardship.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

16 Rejoice evermore.

17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Philippians 4:6

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Colossians 2:6–7

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving.

Deuteronomy 8:2

And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

You can pray these verses like this:

Even if I am going through seasons of hardships, my Heavenly Father, You give me the grace to give thanks to You in whatever circumstance I am in. May my heart be filled with gratitude instead of grumbling. Help me remember the things You have done for me so that I shall always be grateful for them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

It is impossible to have nothing to be grateful to God for. Our salvation alone is one thing for which we should thank God endlessly. Therefore let us remember to be grateful at all times through Christ.