Celebrate Thanksgiving With Prayer This Year
Thanksgiving is a celebratory holiday often spent with family gathered around a table full of food. Yet, there is an irony in the name. It is called Thanksgiving, but too often the day passes without truly giving God thanks. Instead, it can become all about feasting until we are stuffed.
But what if we took time out to pray? I mean, really pray. Not just a quick prayer before the meal, but intentional prayers of gratitude and intercession.
If you have a big family, everyone can take turns praying for one of the topics on Thanksgiving prayer list I’m about to share. Now, in the interest of disclosure, I shared these 40 ideas of what to pray for in this article, sharing a Beginner’s Prayer Guide.
In that guide, I share not only ideas of what to pray about on a regular basis but also:
- How to start a prayer journal
- Building a prayer routine
- Personalizing your time with God and more…
But, for the sake of this article, I wanted to isolate sharing all the different things you can pray for on Thanksgiving Day – either on your own or as a family.
Things to Pray for: A Thanksgiving Prayer List
- Praying for the nation and leaders in positions of authority
- Your health
- God’s favor
- Wisdom & discernment
- Family members
- Salvation for others
- A home
- Your co-workers
- Help for whatever you need
- God’s will to be done
- Hunger for God’s Word
- Mental clarity
- Forgiveness
- Deliverance from bad habits
- Time management
- Business management
- Challenges you or others are having
- Personal finances
- How you are feeling
- Peace
- Your local church
- Unity in the church
- Your pastor
- Work-Life balance
- Creativity
- Your hopes and dreams
- God’s will for your life
- Justice in the world
- Third-world nations
- Israel and the peace of Jerusalem
- Spreading of the gospel
- Spiritual awakening
- Your neighbors
- Persecuted Christians
- Human trafficking
- The school system
- The poor
- Racism in the world
- Sexism in the world
Thank God for the Harvest
Thanksgiving is also tied to harvest season, so it is the perfect time to thank God for His provision.
Pray with gratitude for the food on the table but also for the farmers who cultivate it, the grocery stores that stock the food and everyone involved in making sure you have food on this day.
And, let’s not forget that God gives daily bread that sustains our families.
Pray for Healing and Restoration
Alas, the holidays can be hard for those dealing with grief, loss, or broken relationships. Pray for the healing and comfort for those with hurting hearts, and reconciliation in families that the enemy has caused division.
Cultivate a Spirit of Gratitude Beyond the Day
Thanksgiving may just be one day on the calendar, but gratitude is a posture of the heart.
Long after Thanksgiving dinner is over, it’s important to make it a habit to be thankful before God. Ask the Lord to help you develop and maintain a thankful spirit in the days ahead, especially when you are facing challenges or seasons of lack.
Let this Thanksgiving prayer list inspire you to pray more. Take this with you into advent season and beyond.
More Articles on Prayer:
Praying the Names of God and Its Surprising Impact
A Powerful Daily Prayer Routine
A 5-Minute Morning Prayer That Covers You by God
