Dinner and Mealtime prayers are essential conversations with God. Sitting down to eat provides time to reflect on the day, thank God, and bring our concerns before Him. Paul tells us to: “Celebrate always, pray constantly, and give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Poverty and starvation are an everyday reality for some, while others of us quench their thirst and put hunger at bay at our leisure. No matter which side of the pendulum we find ourselves on, praying God’s will over our lives and our meals is important. “… for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18b NLT)
Praying God’s blessing over our meals and dinner is a simple way to make a big difference on the daily alignment of our hearts. Use dinner time and all other times of eating to recall God’s goodness in your life. It helps us remember that our blessings come from our Creator… who deserves credit for all.
Here are 10 prayers that will fit any mealtime situation, from formal family dinners, to meals on the go at the neighborhood drive-thru. Download your own personal PDF copy of these prayers HERE. Print them and keep them in your kitchen or dining room to remind yourself to come before the Lord with thanks.
1. A Prayer That This Food May Fuel Us to Do Your Work
Father, Praise You for the nourishment the You provide. Thank You for meeting our physical needs of hunger and thirst. Forgive us for taking that simple joy for granted, and bless this food to fuel our bodies forward into Your will for our lives. We pray that we will be energized and be able to work for the glory of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
2. A Prayer in Remembrance of the Hungry
Father, You are mighty and strong to sustain our bodies. Thank You for the meal we are about to enjoy. Forgive us for forgetting how many pray for food to relieve their starvation. Bless and relieve the starvation of those who hunger, Lord, and inspire our hearts to seek out ways that we can help from our abundance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
3. A Prayer of Confession
Father, This meal is the work of Your hands. You have provided for me, again, and I am grateful. I confess my tendency to forget to ask Your blessing upon my life, through the comforts that You have given me to enjoy. So many people lack these daily comforts and it is selfish of me to forget about them in their need. Show me how to make the most of Your blessing in my life, for everything I have is a gift from You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
4. A Prayer for Family Mealtime
Father, We have gathered to share a meal in Your honor. Thank You for putting us together as family, and thank You for this food. Bless it to our bodies, Lord. We thank you for all of the gifts you’ve given to those around this table. Help each member of our family use these gifts to your glory. Guide our mealtime conversations and steer our hearts to Your purpose for our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
5. A Prayer for Dinner Fellowship
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 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.
6. A Prayer for When Someone is Missed at the Table
Father, We are coping with an empty seat at our table. Be with the one we are without, today, and help us to trust in Your timing, purpose, and great love for us all. As we miss ____________ today, we pray Your blessing over him/her/them, and us, and the space in between now and when we see them next. Until then, may this food bless our bodies, and give us strength to endure the day ahead. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
7. A Prayer for Dining Out
Father, Bless this establishment and employees as they prepare and serve our food. Thank You for the opportunity to have our meal brought to us, and the ability to relax and enjoy this time with one another. We understand our privilege to be here, and we pray to be a blessing to those we encounter in this place. Bless our conversation, and may we honor You in all we do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
8. A Prayer in Remembrance of the Last Supper
Father, As we sit here today preparing to eat this food, we remember Your Son. How He came here as a human being, and ate with His family and friends just like we do. Thank You for the gift of Jesus, and that we can look to Him knowing He understands our hunger. Bless us, Lord Jesus, and stir our hearts to remember You in all we do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
9. A Prayer for When Food is Scarce
Father, We come to You hungry, today. It’s hard to understand why we don’t have enough to eat, but we come to You for strength, knowing that You are our provider. Help us to trust that You will sustain us through times of abundance and times of scarcity. Bless us and help us get back up on our feet again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
10. A Prayer for the Drive-Thru
Father, Thank You for the drive-thru, that saves our time on busy days. We pray for those who prepared our food, and we ask that we would be a blessing to them during our brief encounter today. We remember that they are your children, and that they should be treated with kindness and respect, so that they will be able to see You in our actions. Bless this food to our bodies and keep us safe on the road today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Additional Good Prayers for Before Meals
We have collected some of our favorite daily prayers as well as prayers for specific requests that can be used as dinner or meal time prayers.
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. – The Book of Common Prayer
Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen. – The Book of Common Prayer
A Prayer to Be More Grateful
Lord God,
I thank you for what you’ve done in my life. I thank You for each day, for Your work on the cross, and for helping me overcome the toughest battles of my life. Father forgive me for the times I don’t operate from an attitude of sincere gratitude. Teach me to do so and to openly share your goodness with the world around me. Help me to never grow weary of praising you for all that you’ve done. In Jesus Name, Amen. – Victoria Riollano
A Prayer of Blessing Over Loved Ones
Dear God,
Thank you for your great love and blessing over our lives. Thank you that your favor has no end, but it lasts for our entire lifetime. Forgive us for sometimes forgetting that you are intimately acquainted with all of our ways, that you know what concerns us, and you cover us, as with a shield. We ask for your guidance so that we might walk fully in your blessing and goodness today. We ask that your face would shine on us. That you would open the right doors for our lives and for our loved ones, that you would close the wrong doors and protect us from those we need to walk away from. Establish the work of our hands and bring to fulfillment all that you have given us to do in these days. We pray that you would make our way purposeful and our footsteps firm out of your goodness and love. Give us a heart of wisdom to hear your voice, and make us strong by your huge favor and grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen. – Debbie McDaniel
A Prayer for God to Give Us What We Need
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for knowing what we need, even before we do. Help us to release control of our agendas, our wants, and the “needs” we think we need, to You. I pray that You would give me, my children, my family, and friends what we need, whatever that may be, to see You and feel Your presence more clearly in our lives. Help us to be men and women after Your own heart.
In Your Mighty Name, Amen – Maggie Meadows Cooper
To Not Worry About Tomorrow
Father, We worry so often about so much! The very things we are thankful for, we are also concerned about losing. Help us in our unbelief, Lord! Let your words, reign in our daily thoughts and lives.
Father, help us to see Your active hand of providence in our lives. We are created in Your image, and You care more for us than anything else you have created! Yet, we worry if we matter at all …and if we will have what we need to live the days You have numbered. How patient You are with us, Father!
When we are worried about our safety, ease our minds with the promise of Your presence through Christ Jesus by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are never alone, Father, this we know, but oh- how we feel isolated, scared, worried, and alone sometimes. In those moments, sweep in and shield us by helping us to recall Your promise to never leave us or forsake us. – Meg Bucher
Prayer for Families
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who settest the solitary in families: We commend to thy continual care the homes in which thy people dwell. Put far from them, we beseech thee,every root of bitterness, the desire of vainglory, and the pride of life. Fill them with faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness. Knit together in constant affection those who, in holy wedlock, have been made one flesh. Turn the hearts of the parents to the children, and the hearts of the children to the parents; and so enkindle fervent charity among us all, that we may evermore be kindly affectioned one to another; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bless Us with Favor
We praise You for this day, and Your purpose for it. Lord, you guide us always (Isaiah 58:11). You surround the righteous with Your favor as a shield. (Psalm 5:12) Lord, this day we pray You would shield us from sickness, isolation, anxiety, attack, and calamity. Bless our lives with Your favor, God. We want to experience Your joy, that which isn’t circumstantial. Joy that leads us faithfully through pain and marches alongside us in triumph.
Search our hearts, God, and renew a right spirit in us. We pray for Your favor to reign down on our lives, our relationships and friendships, and spread like wildfire to everyone You have placed in our lives, from our spouses to our co-works, church family and those we pass in the grocery store aisles.
Lord, we know even when we cannot see or feel Your blessings, You surround us with them. When we seek You, we will find You. Flip our perspective – allow us to feel the rhythm of Your movement in our lives and flowing through our hearts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. – Meg Bucher
A Prayer to Forgive Wrongs
Father, This is the day You have made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Father, you hold the key to every heart on earth, we do not. Judgment for others is not in our hands, and shouldn’t be on our resumes. As we seek You more each day in prayer and in Your Word, show us how to be forgiving, in Christ. Cleanse us of our tendency to keep records of wrongs and reasons for blame.
Let us not become people who shame others, but show them how to be free through Christ. We want our lives to reflect Your brightness, Your grace, and Your love.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen. – Meg Bucher
A Prayer to Embrace and Enjoy Life
Father, Help us to embrace and enjoy the life you’ve given us to live. We are not accidentally here on earth! Each day we awake to breathe, you faithfully meet us with purpose.
We lift our anxiety and worry to you, today, as we seek to embrace your peace and promises. We confess our tendency to condemn, criticize, and compare instead of embracing the peace and blessings you have showered over our lives.
During trying seasons and relatively easy days, help us to see and remember you in all situations. We never know what our world is going to throw at us, but you do. You never change.
Holy Spirit, faithfully nudge and reminds us that we are children of God, freed from the chains of sin by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, and resurrection and assertion to heaven where He is seated by the Father. Bless our minds to remember and embrace the freedom, hope, joy and peace we have in Christ.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen. – Meg Bucher