30 Inspiring Dinner Prayers For Mealtime

Have you ever been asked to say grace before supper? There are dozens of beautiful ways to give thanks. Your dinner prayer could range from symbolic and lengthy to short and simple. Go with a traditional prayer of thanksgiving for a familiar choice or go for something more unique. Feel free to make it fully your own, and personalize each prayer for the specific occasion and guests at your dinner party. Browse through these encouraging dinner prayers for a dose of inspiration for your next meal.

Prayers Of Thanksgiving

• "Our Father in Heaven, we give thanks for the pleasure of gathering together for this occasion. We give thanks for this food prepared by loving hands. We give thanks for life, the freedom to enjoy it all, and all other blessings. As we partake of this food, we pray for health and strength to carry on and try to live as You would have us. This we ask in the name of Christ, Our Heavenly Father." —Harry Jewell, We Give Thanks
• "Let us therefore proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessings—let us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals—and let us resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human beings throughout the world. On that (this) day let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist." —President John F. Kennedy, A Prayer of Gratitude
• "O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today. Thank you for our home and family and friends, especially for the presence of those gathered here. Thank you for our health, our work and our play. Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick, and suffering war and violence. Open our hearts to your love. We ask your blessing through Christ your son. Amen." —Mary Cronk Farrell, Thanksgiving Table Prayer
• "Lord God and giver of all good gifts, we are grateful as we pause before this meal, for all the blessings of life that you give to us. Daily, we are fed with good things, nourished by friendship and care, feasted with forgiveness and understanding. And so, mindful of your continuous care, we pause to be grateful for the blessings of this table. May your presence be the extra taste to this meal which we eat in the name of your son, Jesus." —Edward Hays, We are Grateful
• "For food in a world where many walk in hunger; For faith in a world where many walk in fear; For friends in a world where many walk alone; We give you thanks, O Lord." —Unknown, Giving Thanks
• "God is great, and God is good, let us thank Him for our food; By His blessings we are fed, Give us Lord, our daily bread. Amen." —Unknown, God Is Great
• "Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this food. Feed our souls on the bread of life and help us to do our part in kind words and loving deeds. We ask in Jesus' name." —Author Unknown, Meal Prayer
• "Father of mercy, we praise you and give you glory for the wonderful gifts you have given us: for life and health, for faith and love, and for this meal we have shared together. Father, we thank you through Christ our Lord." —Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
• "For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy goodness sends." —Ralph Waldo Emerson, For Each New Morning
• "For food that stays our hunger, for rest that brings us ease, for homes where memories linger, we give our thanks for these." —Unknown
• “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. … He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.” —Psalm 136:1-3;25-26

Prayers Of Praise

• "Blessed are you, Lord our God, maker of heaven and earth and Father of all your people: we give you glory for your goodness and for your loving care for us. Bless this food [this bread] and grant that all who eat it may be strong in body and grow in your love. Blessed are you, Lord our God, for ever and ever." —Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bless this Food
  
• "Blessed are you, Lord God, king of the universe: you raised your beloved son from the dead and made him Lord of all. We turn to you in prayer and ask you to bless us and this food you have given us. Help us to be generous toward others, and to work with them so that they too may eat well. Loving Father, may we all celebrate together around your table in heaven. We praise you and give you glory through Christ our Lord." —Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, May We Eat Well
• "Earth maker and Lord of all creation, we are mindful that this food before us has already been blessed by the sun, earth, and rain. We pause to be grateful for the hidden gifts of life in this food. Bless our eyes and taste so that we may eat this food in a holy and mindful manner. We lift up this bread; may it be food and symbol for all of us who shall eat it." —Edward Hays, Food As A Symbol
• "God our Father, Lord, and Savior, thank you for your love and favor, bless this food and drink we pray, and all who shares with us today. Amen." —Unknown, God Our Father, Lord, and Savior
• "Lord Jesus, our brother, be with us today. Bless our happy gathering, and bless this meal that we share. Protect us all, and help us to grow in your love. Lord Jesus, we praise your holy name forever." —Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

Prayers Of Humility

• "O God, 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, bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen" —Samuel F. Pugh, Remembrance
• "Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow men throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands this day their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give peace and joy." —Mother Teresa, Make Us Worthy, Lord
• "In a world where so many are hungry, may we eat this food with humble hearts; in a world where so many are lonely, may we share this friendship with joyful hearts. Amen." —Unknown, Humble Hearts
• "Lord, bless this food and grant that we may thankful for thy mercies be; teach us to know by whom we're fed; bless us with Christ, the living bread. Lord, make us thankful for our food, bless us with faith in Jesus' blood; with bread of life our souls' supply, that we may live with Christ on high. Amen." —Unknown, Dinner Prayer Hymn
• "We have come to the last meal of this day, to our supper meal. Let us be mindful of how our Lord,
  at such a meal as this, washed his friends' feet in an act of holy service. As this food is about to serve us as nourishment, may we also serve one another. May the seal of God's love rest upon this food and upon this day now drawing to a close. May we and our gifts of food be under the tent of God's peace." —Edward Hays

Prayers Requesting Blessings

• "Bless us, Oh Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ, Our Lord." —Unknown, Bless us, Oh Lord
• "Bless us, O God. Bless our food and our drink. Since you redeemed us so dearly and delivered us from evil, as you gave us a share in this food so may you give us a share in eternal life." —Unknown, Bless Our Food
• "Be present at our table, Lord. Be here and everywhere adored. Thy creatures bless and grant that we may feast in paradise with Thee." —John Cennick, Be Present At Our Table, Lord
• "May all be fed. May all be healed. May all be loved." —John Robbins, May All Be Fed
• "May this food restore our strength, giving new energy to tired limbs, new thoughts to weary minds. May this drink restore our souls, giving new vision to dry spirits, new warmth to cold hearts. And once refreshed, may we give new pleasure to you, who gives us all." —Unknown, Restore Us
• "Dear and beloved stranger, please eat this food with us that we may all be nourished. Please share this walk with us that we may all know nature's peace. Please rest in this warm house that we may come to know each other. Please sleep under these soft blankets that we may all know safety. Please pray this prayer that all our names of God may guide us on." —Christina Baldwin, Beloved Stranger
• "Loving God, bless all those gathered here today as we come together in friendship and fellowship. Thank you for the blessings of our individual and collective God-given gifts. Place in our hearts the desire to make a difference to our families, to our community, to our country, and to the many cultures and peoples worldwide. Give us balance in times of distraction and uncertainty. Help us move towards our goals with determination and always with an abundant sense of humor. Thank you for food in a world where many know only hunger; For our faith in a world where many know fear; For friends in a world where many know only loneliness. Please bless this food we are about to share, those who prepared it, those who serve it, and those who have worked to make today the special occasion that it is. For all of this, we give you thanks." —Izola White, An Invocation
• "May we be strong in virtue, firm in time of trouble, and always ready to help others in time of need. May we be blessed by God as we share this food and as we work and live together for the good of all." —Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
• "Father, praise You for friendship and family! Thank You for bringing us together today to share a meal. The people in our lives bring us such joy, and we are grateful for the time spent in fellowship together. Help us use this time to bond closer as a group, and learn to love each other more. Bless our appetites, both physical and spiritual, to honor You in all we do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen." —Meg Bucher