Most Christians say “grace” before meals, whether it’s taco night or Thanksgiving. Even Thanksgiving dinner. Before meals, we say short, repeated prayers or longer, more personal prayers to thank God for the food and company.
Have you considered our motivations? Is it an everyday issue or a deeper issue? Christians grow closer to God through prayer. Prayer is our direct line to God. Prayer is like saying “thank you” for a meal or asking God for help in a difficult time. It keeps our faith alive.
The Bible recounts people eating together at a table. Four reasons to pray before eating, whether you’re eating alone in a diner or with family on vacation:
1. We follow Jesus’ example.
We pray before meals because Jesus did.
Jesus fed large crowds in multiple Bible accounts. “Jesus appeared as if from Heaven and blessed those who were being fed” while feeding hundreds with fish and loaves (Matthew 14:19).
At the Last Supper, Jesus gave his disciples the cup and told them it represented his body and blood, which he had given for them. He thanked this sacrifice.
Jesus ate with some of his traveling companions in Emmaus after his resurrection. He “took bread, thanked them, broke the bread, and began to offer it to them” (Luke 24:30).
Every time, Jesus points to God. Jesus always thanks his father, whether at a supper with friends or in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion.
The command in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, and supply thanksgiving in all circumstances,” aligns our hearts. Gratitude before eating aligns our hearts with this command.
2. To remind us, God provides.
We can become blinded by our pain and forget to see the world’s beauty. God helps us through life’s hardships.
We will certainly suffer on earth, and it may be hard to believe that God has provided, is providing, and will provide for us. We must remember that God has, is, and will provide.
Matthew 6:28-34 offers comfort. In that passage, God says that if he cares as much about the plants of the field, he will care even more about his people:
“What might we consume?” is fine. “What could we wear?” “What could we drink?” The pagan religion runs these products, and your heavenly Father knows which ones you want. But first, find his country and justice, and you may get all of these things. Thus, the day after tomorrow will worry about itself. Daily obstacles vary.
The fact that we can enjoy eating shows that God provides for us because our bodies need food.
3. To recall that God provides food and other pleasures.
Life’s pleasure is God’s will. God stated in Genesis 1 that the beginning of time was accurate, implying that everything happened as he planned. Lifestyle includes food, friends, nature, and aesthetics. Everything started out accurate.
He gave us all this luck.
Ecclesiastes addresses this issue.
“A character can achieve nothing higher than to consume and drink and find pleasure in their own toil,” Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 states. Who would eat or have fun without God?
“This is what I have found to be true: that it is suitable for anyone to consume, to drink, and to discover pleasure of their toilsome hard work below the sun in the course of the few days of lifestyle God has given them — for that is their lot,” chapter 5, verse 18.
In the e-book Wishing for Happiness, author Barnabas Piper says:
“Christ’s framework is revealed in our joy in each other. Enjoying our hard work and development boosts our image. We thank God for his provision and the meal organizers because we enjoy eating. Jesus’ miraculous birth brought us the Lord’s peace, which we find in gentle breezes and crashing waves.
“God needs human happiness. He wants us to have fun and be satisfied with our work. God wants us to be holy. Thus, his knowledge and love have given us everything we want to know about each of these things.
Before a meal, we thank God for how food, companionship, and network improve our lives and allow us to make the most of our time on Earth.
fourth, to cultivate gratitude.
We know how Genesis 1 ends and that Adam and Eve destroyed something accurate. Overindulging in food, drink, relationships, jobs, and everything else can lead to the same thing. We sinful humans always assume everything is fine.
Making a delicious meal a challenge to show gratitude to God is a big step toward focusing on God instead of yourself. This shifts attention from you to God.
Psalm 104 says we can fully enjoy God’s provision for our lives. It’s best to savor one’s favorite foods and drinks. However, do so with genuine joy.
Piper discussed this in Hope for Happiness:
I don’t always mean I want to praise God in my eating and drinking. Because of this, I want a purposeful life. Because “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,” I should be aware of this international’s kindness. This means eating “with thanksgiving” and enjoying delight glorifies God.
Piper suggests making it a habit to approach those things with intentional thankfulness. “Too much of a good thing may be bad” is still true today. Because our joy and contentment come from God, we cannot hope to find pleasure in these things alone.
“Gratitude in no way lessens pride, and it continually magnifies God,” he wrote. “If we can’t be thankful for a great item, it’s likely a sign that something is wrong in our hearts (or that we realize that thing isn’t really right for us).”
When we thank God for meeting our needs, we realize that everything good and right comes from Him (James 1:17). Praying before meals reminds us that God owns everything.
Before eating, praying with a thankful heart makes us more like Jesus, honors God, and reminds us of God’s love for His children and the gifts He gives us with each meal.