5 Prayers to Give Thanks to God

There is always something to be thankful for. Whether it is the clothes on our backs, the food in our fridges, the roof over our heads, or the loved ones in our lives, blessings are all around us. 

Sometimes, we let daily stressors, disappointments, and irritations distract us from being grateful in the present moment. Our past will become our history and our future is not even promised. The present is truly a gift that we should never take for granted. When we live with an attitude of gratitude, we see the world more beautifully, and, as the saying goes, a grateful heart attracts blessings. 

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So, as we pray for protection, spiritual growth, healing, or help from God, let’s also take time to give thanks to our Creator as well. May the following Baha’i prayers of thanks to God help you treasure every breath that you can take right now and every moment that you have with the ones you cherish.

1. A Prayer to Give Thanks to God and Ask for His Continued Assistance

I love this prayer that was revealed by Baha’u’llah — the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith. In this prayer, we thank God for awakening and reviving us with His revelation. We also ask God to continue to help us at all times and bestow his grace upon us. Baha’u’llah wrote:

My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire! What tongue can voice my thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life. I was withered, Thou didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which hath flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful.

O Divine Providence! All existence is begotten by Thy bounty; deprive it not of the waters of Thy generosity, neither do Thou withhold it from the ocean of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at all times and under all conditions, and seek from the heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient favor. Thou art, in truth, the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of the kingdom of eternity.

2. A Prayer to Praise God and Cleanse Our Hearts

In this Baha’i prayer, we praise God’s glory, honor, sovereignty, grace, awe, and power, and ask Him to cleanse people’s hearts so they can better understand God’s unfolding revelation:

All praise, O my God, be to Thee Who art the Source of all glory and majesty, of greatness and honor, of sovereignty and dominion, of loftiness and grace, of awe and power.  Whomsoever Thou willest Thou causest to draw nigh unto the Most Great Ocean, and on whomsoever Thou desirest Thou conferrest the honor of recognizing Thy Most Ancient Name.  Of all who are in heaven and on earth, none can withstand the operation of Thy sovereign Will.  From all eternity Thou didst rule the entire creation, and Thou wilt continue for evermore to exercise Thy dominion over all created things.  There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, The Most Exalted, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.

Illumine, O Lord, the faces of Thy servants, that they may behold Thee; and cleanse their hearts that they may turn unto the court of Thy heavenly favors, and recognize Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Dayspring of Thine Essence.  Verily, Thou art the Lord of all worlds.  There is no God but Thee, the Unconstrained, the All-Subduing.

3. A Prayer for Children to Give Thanks to God

Abdu’l-Baha, one of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith, revealed this prayer for children to thank God for favoring and guiding them. He wrote:

He is God.

O ye children of the Kingdom! Give thanks unto God that, at this tender age, ye have entered into the Divine Kingdom. The bounty and bestowal of God have surrounded you. While ye were yet children, He chose you and elected you. Ye became the intimates of His mysteries, whilst those of riper age remained deprived. This is naught but a divine bestowal. Therefore give ye thanks unto God, saying:

O Compassionate God! O Lord of Hosts! Praise be unto Thee that Thou hast preferred these little children over the full-grown and mature, and bestowed upon them Thy special favours. Thou hast guided them. Thou hast been kind to them. Thou hast conferred upon them illumination and spirituality. Grant us Thy confirmation so that, when we grow up, we may engage in service to Thy Kingdom, become the cause of educating others, burn like radiant candles and shine like brilliant stars. Thou art the Giver, the Bestower, the Compassionate.

4. A Prayer to Thank God and Turn Toward Him

In this prayer revealed by Baha’u’llah, we offer our sincere praise and gratitude to the Almighty, humbly seeking His assistance in turning completely toward God and in revitalizing our souls:

Magnified be Thy Name, O Lord my God!  Thou art He Whom all things worship and Who worshipeth no one, Who is the Lord of all things and is the vassal of none, Who knoweth all things and is known of none.  Thou didst wish to make Thyself known unto men; therefore, Thou didst, through a word of Thy mouth, bring creation into being and fashion the universe.  There is none other God except Thee, the Fashioner, the Creator, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. 

I implore Thee, by this very word that hath shone forth above the horizon of Thy will, to enable me to drink deep of the living waters through which Thou hast vivified the hearts of Thy chosen ones and quickened the souls of them that love Thee, that I may, at all times and under all conditions, turn my face wholly towards Thee.

Thou art the God of power, of glory and bounty.  No God is there beside Thee, the Supreme Ruler, the All-Glorious, the Omniscient.

5. A Prayer to Thank God for Empowering Us in His Love

Baha’u’llah revealed this prayer that thanks God for empowering us to be steadfast in divine love and recognize the divine messengers that have revealed God’s messages to humanity throughout history:

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I yield Thee thanks for having enabled me to recognize the Manifestation of Thyself, and for having severed me from Thine enemies, and laid bare before mine eyes their misdeeds and wicked works in Thy days, and for having rid me of all attachment to them, and caused me to turn wholly towards Thy grace and bountiful favors. 

I give Thee thanks, also, for having sent down upon me from the clouds of Thy will that which hath so sanctified me from the hints of the infidels and the allusions of the misbelievers that I have fixed my heart firmly on Thee, and fled from such as have denied the light of Thy countenance.  Again I thank Thee for having empowered me to be steadfast in Thy love, and to speak forth Thy praise and to extol Thy virtues, and for having given me to drink of the cup of Thy mercy that hath surpassed all things visible and invisible.

Thou art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the All-Loving.

The Baha’i writings say:

In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven. …When a man falls in love with a human being, it is impossible for him to keep from mentioning the name of his beloved. How much more difficult is it to keep from mentioning the Name of God when one has come to love Him.

I hope these Baha’i prayers help you express your love and gratitude to the Fashioner and Creator of this beautiful and boundless universe.