During the holiday season, there is an expectation or assumption that everything will be merry and bright. On Thanksgiving Day, we imagine that we will be at a table filled with delicious food and many loved ones. However, that is not always the case. For some, the holiday will be spent alone. Perhaps you are estranged from your family, or you live too far away and are unable to travel.
Most people have had lonely holidays, but being alone is never easy. When we look to Scripture, we find evidence of God’s goodness and faithfulness. If you or someone you know will be alone this Thanksgiving, here are 10 prayers you can say to bring comfort and hope.
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1. Prayer for Grace
“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalm 25:16).
Heavenly Father,
I approach you with a humble heart. This season, I feel lonely. I feel lost and on my own. Everything around me feels bright and happy, but the loneliness of this season weighs heavy on my heart. I pray that you would turn to me, Lord, and be gracious to me. Let me trust You are near to me and that I am not alone when I draw near to You. Show me Your grace and restore hope to me, even in the midst of feeling isolated, so that I can experience peace during this season of gratitude.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen.
2. Prayer for Strength
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Lord,
You are my God and I know that I do not have to be afraid. Even though I am alone this Thanksgiving, I know that You are with me. I pray You will help me and that You will strengthen me. I want to trust You and believe with all my heart that You are a good and faithful God. Loneliness tries to make me feel abandoned and forsaken by you. Remind me of Your truth, that You are with me and that I can trust Your faithful presence.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen.
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3. Prayer against Anxiety
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Loving God,
As I face loneliness this Thanksgiving, I feel anxiety within. I am anxious to be alone. I am anxious to be away from family and friends. Your word tells me that I can give You all my anxieties, fears, and sadness. I can do this because You care about me. Lord, help me to cast all my anxieties on You and to believe that You truly do care about me. When I am alone, I can stand on the truth that You haven’t forgotten about me but are with me always. Let me feel Your great love and care for me this Thanksgiving season.
In Jesus’ name I ask,
Amen.
4. Prayer for Healing
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
Heavenly Father,
I come to you with a broken heart and sadness. I have been hurt and I feel so lonely. I need Your help, Lord. I need Your healing touch over my life and in my heart. I ask for healing and hope to be restored in my life and in my relationships. I feel sad that I am alone this holiday and ask that You would give me a sense of calm even as I cannot be with my loved ones. I desire to dwell in Your loving presence.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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5. Prayer for Reconciliation
“For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in” (Psalm 27:10).
Lord,
This Thanksgiving I feel the weight of being alone and estranged from my loved one. The brokenness of our relationship hurts and this time of year it is on my mind often. Help me, Lord, to remember that You take me in. Help me to believe that I am always part of Your family and that there is always a place for me at Your table. Help me to know that You are a good Father who never forsakes and never abandons. I ask that You would reconcile the broken relationship in my life and restore what has been lost.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
6. Prayer for Comfort
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Loving God,
You are worthy of my praise. You are always good and always near Your beloved children. I thank You that I am Your child. I pray for comfort this holiday season. I pray that You would pour out Your compassion upon me and give me relief from feeling lonely. I want to receive Your great comfort and bask in Your great love and compassion for me more than anything else. Let Your comfort be felt more than any loneliness or sadness.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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7. Prayer to Be Content
“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. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13).
Lord,
Thanksgiving will be different for me this year. I will not get to spend the day how I had envisioned. This gives me a sense of loneliness and I wonder how I will make the best of the holiday. Help me to be content this Thanksgiving. Help me to be grateful and satisfied, even if it’s a quiet day and even if its different than what I hoped. I know better times are ahead for me. I pray that You would give me strength to endure and be content with where I’m at for now.]
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
8. Prayer for Belonging
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).
Heavenly Father,
I love that in Your word, I learn that as Your follower, I am also Your friend. When I look around me, I don’t have many friends right now, and I’m feeling lonely as the holiday approaches. Scripture gives me great comfort in knowing that I always have a friend in You. Thank You for always being a friend to those in need. Lord, help me to feel a sense of belonging as I draw near to you. Let my sense of belonging deepen and stabilize, so that I feel hopeful and less lonely in my life.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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9. Prayer for Hope
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
Gracious and loving God,
You are the God of hope. If I am feeling hopeless, I know that I can come to You and be filled with hope once again. This Thanksgiving I am feeling lonely. My circumstances are sad and overwhelming. I want to lean on You and trust that You can fill me with joy and peace, so that I may abound in hope. I want real hope that is found in You, not based on my current situation.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
10. Prayer for Joy
“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul” (Psalm 94:19).
Lord,
This Thanksgiving I find myself alone. My heart is feeling burdened with many cares and feelings of isolation and loneliness. I look to Your word and find such reassuring truth — that You will comfort me, and Your comfort will bring me cheer and restore my joy. I pray, Lord, that joy will return to me. I ask that even though I am alone, I will feel Your joy deep in my heart. I know that I can find joy each day because You love me and have saved me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Draw Near to God
If you are alone this Thanksgiving, pray these prayers to help you feel a sense of comfort, peace, and hope in the midst of a lonely time. When you draw near to God, He will give you a sense of belonging and contentment that endures even when you are alone, or when things are not going how you had thought. These 10 prayers will give you faith even as you are struggling with feeling lonely, because they will remind you of the truth found in Scripture about who God is and how much He loves you.
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For more, read: Powerful Thanksgiving Prayers and Blessings to Inspire Gratitude This Year
Originally published Friday, 17 November 2023.
