God is good, God is great, let us thank him for this food, amen. Many learn this prayer at a very young age. Some call it “blessing the food” or “saying grace”. You can find it being done at Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings, in restaurants, and at many dinner tables every evening. The practice of thanking God for our food before we eat it, where does it come from? Why do we pray before we eat our food?
Examples In The Bible Of Prayer Before Eating
Jesus Feeding The 5000
(Mathew 14:19) And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.
Jesus On The Road To Emmau
(Luke 24:29-30) …So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
Jesus At The Last Supper
(Mathew 26:26) While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
The Apostle Paul
(Acts 27:35) After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all.
(1 Corinthians 10:30) If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
There can be no greater example to follow than that of Jesus himself. It is apparent the example Jesus set in giving thanks when he ate was something that was continued by his followers. In (Acts 27), Paul can be found giving thanks in the midst of a shipwreck. Something tells me he was thankful for more than just his food.
Always Giving Thanks
(Ephesians 5:20) …always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Praying for our meals is something that fits in quite well with always having a thankful heart towards God. We should never look at this subject with a “Do we have to pray for our food?” attitude. Also, it gives us another opportunity during our day to say thanks to God for the many blessings that come from him, including the food on our table.
