More Than Enough: Dayenu, a Prayer of Gratitude from The Chosen
Were you moved by the opening scene of episode 4, season 5 of The Chosen? (If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the clips below!) There was no miraculous healing or major wonder this time. Instead, a quiet moment and a prayerful song: Dayenu.
The word “Dayenu” means “it would have been enough” in Hebrew. At first glance, it may sound modest. Almost minimal. But if you listen closely, you’ll discover how much richness is hidden in that word, “enough.” It holds deep meaning, full of reminiscence, history, and above all, gratitude. Because “enough” is sometimes more abundant than we imagine.
A Chain of Gratitude
Dayenu is an ancient Jewish song traditionally sung during Passover. It remembers the many wonders God performed during the Exodus and beyond. In this episode of The Chosen, the disciples recite the prayer during the Last Supper. John begins:
If He had brought us out of Egypt, but had not executed judgments against the Egyptians, it would have been enough!
Then each disciple adds to the prayer by repeating the second half of the previous line and attaching a new one: “If He had executed judgments against the Egyptians, and not against their gods, it would have been enough!”
Each person says the first part, and everyone responds together, “It would have been enough!” Each verse builds on the last like beads on a string of gratitude. With every line, the awareness deepens: God didn’t have to do more, but He did. Below, you can see how the disciples proclaimed Dayenu in The Chosen.
A Prayer Format to Use
It gets even better when, later in the episode, Jesus has a meal with the women in his life, and they recite their version of Dayenu. His mother, Eema Mary, opens the prayer with:
If I had only known the joy of holding you in my arms that cold night in Bethlehem, and never seen your miracles, it would have been enough.
Mary Magdalene, Eden, and the others follow. Each of them expresses their own memory, their own moment of gratitude. It becomes an intimate, personal prayer. A song of praise in layers:
If You had performed signs and wonders and had not called me by name, it would have been enough.
If You had healed Mary of Magdala from her demons and not healed my Eema or called my husband after your miracle, it would have been enough.
As this scene shows, the Dayenu can serve as a format for your personal prayers or within your community.
Do you find this prayer just as moving as those in The Chosen did? Good news: you can write your own Dayenu! For yourself, or to pray with your partner, friends, family, small group, or anyone else.
Care to do this together? Here’s how to create a personalized Dayenu:
What if, in your Bible study group or another gathering, you took a moment to reflect together on all that Jesus has already done in your lives? Writing your own Dayenu can be a simple yet powerful way to express gratitude as a group.
1. Here’s how it works:
2. Step by step, here’s how we do it:
3. Example
1. Here’s how it works:
Together with your group, you create one continuous prayer sentence, built from personal experiences of gratitude. Each line follows the same three-part pattern:
“If Jesus had only…”
“and had not also…”
Then we say together: “It would have been enough.”
But here’s the beautiful part: each new person picks up where the last one left off—taking the second half of the previous line and turning it into their own first half. In this way, we create a prayer chain of gratitude—each link connected to the one before it.
2. Step by step, here’s how we do it:
The first person starts with:
“If Jesus had only [personal experience 1]
and had not also [personal experience 2]…”
Group: “It would have been enough.”
The second person picks up the second part of the previous line and says:
“If Jesus had only [person 1’s experience 2]
and had not also [their own experience 3]…”
Group: “It would have been enough.”
The third person continues:
“If Jesus had only [person 2’s experience 3]
and had not also [their own experience 4]…”
Group: “It would have been enough.”
And so it goes around the circle…
3. Example
Person 1:
“If Jesus had only given me peace in the middle of my chaos, and had not also restored my relationship with my sister…”
Group: “It would have been enough.”
Person 2:
“If Jesus had only restored my relationship with my sister, and had not also given me a new sense of purpose…”
Group: “It would have been enough.”
Person 3:
“If Jesus had only given me a new sense of purpose, and had not also taken away my guilt…”
Group: “It would have been enough.”
A Dayenu for yourself?
You can create a prayer like this for yourself, too. Just like Eema Mary, Eden, Thamar, or Mary Magdalene, you can speak your own Dayenu: in silence, in your journal, or out loud to God. It’s a simple yet powerful way to look back and reflect on all that Jesus has already done in your life. You might be surprised how “enough” suddenly feels like abundance.
Preparation tip:
Suggested Bible readings:
Songs to sing:
Preparation tip:
Ask everyone to write down two moments of gratitude ahead of time (in the format: “If Jesus had only… and had not also…”). That way, everyone has some “building blocks” ready, and it becomes easier to keep the prayer flowing when it’s your turn.
Suggested Bible readings:
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.Lamentations 3:23
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Songs to sing:
Your Grace Is Enough – Chris Tomlin
Here's My Heart – David Crowder