For Young Children
This was the first mealtime prayer I introduced to my toddler. I’ve said these words so many times and I can picture his pudgy little hands folded over his plastic plate of lunch food as clear as day as we said these words:
Thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing.
Thank you, God, for everything.
Amen.
-
E. Rutter Leatham
As my children got a little older we transitioned to this prayer. We say it every evening before dinner:
To God who gives our daily bread
A thankful song we’ll raise
And pray that He who sends our food
May fill our hearts with praise
-
Thomas Tallis
Below is a collection of other prayers that I have collected from books and blogs and friends that I love so much. Pick your favourite!
Bread is a lovely thing to eat.
God bless the barley and the wheat,
A lovely thing to breathe is air,
God bless the sunshine ev’rywhere.
The earth is a lovely place to know,
God bless the folks that come and go.
Alive is a lovely thing to be.
Giver of life, we say, ‘Bless Thee!’
-
Colin Price
“Father, round this table, here to pray
First, we praise you for the day,
For our family and our friends.
Gifts of grace that heaven lends
Living water, daily bread,
Countless blessings our God sends.
Thank you, Lord, for them all
For the big ones and the small
When we’re happy, when we’re sad
On the good days and the bad
We are thankful, we are glad.
Amen.”
God our Father, Lord and Saviour
Thank you for your love and favour
Bless this food and drink we pray
And all who share with us today
-
Unknown
We thank you Lord
For the food before us
The shelter around us
The family beside us
And the love between us
Amen
-
Unknown
(to the tune of the Superman Theme)
Thank you Lord for giving us food!
Thank you Lord for giving us food!
For the friends we meet, and the food we eat!
Thank you Lord, for giving us food!
Amen
-
Unknown
(to the tune of Frere Jacques)
God our Father, God our Father
Once Again, Once again
We would ask a blessing, we would ask a blessing,
Amen, Amen
-
Unknown
God is great, God is good.
Let us thank Him for our food.
By His hand must all be fed
Give us Lord our daily bread.
-
Unknown
- For the Whole Family -
May this meal serve to remind those who share its pleasures
Of the goodness and the hope that infuses all creation
(Amen)
-
Every Moment Holy
Thou that hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more ---a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be.
Thy praise.
-
George Herbert
Where two or more of us are gathered, O Lord,
There you have promised to be.
And here we are.
And so, here are You.
(Amen)
-
Every Moment Holy
Even as we hunger for the tastes
and textures and aromas of
This meal now graciously spread before us,
We pray you would also daily increase
Our deep hunger for your words and your truth,
That our own words
And choices
And actions
This week would be shaped
By your gracious revelation
Feed us, O Bread of Life.
Amen
-
Every Moment Holy
For your tender care displayed
In the food and friends now before us,
We offer you our praise
(Amen)
-
Every Moment Holy
And so now we bow our heads in thanks,
Gratefully receiving from Your great hand
The provision of this meal,
And the still greater provisions
Of your mercy, your compassion,
Your grace, your love.
(Amen)
-
Every Moment Holy
For health and strength and daily bread
We praise thy name Oh Lord
Hallelujah, Amen
-
Traditional
May God bless our daily bread
So that our souls with life be fed.
(Amen)
-
Unknown
Blessed be thou Lord, God of the Universe
Who brings forth bread from the Earth
And makes glad the hearts of men.
Amen
-
Hebrew blessing
We break this bread together with hearts aware
Not bread alone, but God’s life and love we share
-
A. C. Hartwood
For this new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything His goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
-
William Bennett
For the golden gourds, for the fruit on the trees
For the harvested corn and the sap from maple trees
For grains and nuts and berries
For honey from the hive
We give our thanks to the Earth
For all that it provides
-
Meagan Rose Wilson
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