A collection of 17 Popular Prayers for Meals, along with Bible verses
Table of Contents
Just as we need to nourish our bodies, we need to nourish ourselves spiritually as well.
Saying grace before a meal is just one of the many opportunities we have every day to thank God for His blessings.
Below is a collection of 17 Popular Prayers for Meals. You can say them word-for-word or alter them to fit the occasion.
May your time of breaking bread and fellowship be blessed!
Be Present at Our Table
Be present at our table, Lord;
Be here and everywhere adored;
Thy creatures bless, and grant that we
May feast in paradise with Thee.
We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food,
For life and health and every good;
By Thine own hand may we be fed;
Give us each day our daily bread.
Originally written as part of a hymn by John Cennick.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
God is Great, God is Good
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
Traditional, Author Unknown
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. John 6:35
Humble Hearts
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
Traditional, Author Unknown
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
God Our Father, Lord and Savior
God our Father, Lord, and Savior
Thank You for Your love and favor
Bless this food and drink we pray
And all who share with us today.
Amen
Traditional, Author Unknown
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6
Dinner Prayer Hymn
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
Traditional, Author Unknown
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Matthew 6:25
Make Us Worthy, Lord
Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow man
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.
By Mother Teresa
He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:25
Bless Us, O Lord
Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts,
Which we are about to receive from Thy bounty,
Through Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Catholic Common Table Prayer
But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 1 Corinthians 8:8
May All Be Fed
May all be fed.
May all be healed.
May all be loved.
By John Robbins
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9
Giving Thanks
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.
Traditional, Author Unknown
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
Meal Prayer
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.
Amen
Traditional, Author Unknown
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Timothy 6:7-8
Bless Our Food
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.
Amen
Traditional, Author Unknown
I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
Bless This Food
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
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Proverbs 30:8
May We Eat Well
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
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:12
We Are Grateful
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
After He said this, He took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then He broke it and began to eat. Acts 27:35
Irish Grace Prayer
Bless, O Lord, this food we are about to eat;
And we pray You, O God,
That it may be good for our body and soul;
And if there be any poor creature
Hungry or thirsty walking along the road,
Send them into us that we can share the food with them,
Just as You share your gifts with all of us.
Traditional, Author Unknown
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. Genesis 1:29
Food as A Symbol
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
Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred. Proverbs 15:17
Moravian Dinner Prayer
Come, Lord Jesus, our Guest to be
And bless these gifts
Bestowed by Thee.
And bless our loved ones everywhere,
And keep them in Your loving care.
Amen
Traditional, Author Unknown
Mealtime Prayer
Father God,
We do not live on bread alone,
But on every word that comes from Your mouth.
As we remember to feed our physical bodies,
May we remember to feed our spiritual bodies as well.
Thank You for Your unfailing love
And for the many wonderful things You do for us.
Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do,
May we do it all for Your glory!
Amen
Karen Patrick, Founder of RayElaine Prayer
17 Popular Prayers for Meals
It is my hope that you enjoyed these 17 Popular Prayers for Meals.
I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment at the bottom of the page.
Thank you, and it is my prayer that you have a very blessed day! ❤
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To read “Why do we pray before eating meals?” click here: GotQuestions.org
You may be interested in this Prayer Before Meal video. It’s a little over 4 minutes long, so it’s not exactly short (not sure why the maker of the video put the word “short” in the title).