Praying over meals... Biblical Mandate?

[Guest LadyC]

not sure if this is the right place for it, but i didn't think controversial was quite right either. maybe it is. someone can move it if need be.

 

ok, i saw a cute little poster on facebook today that reminds me so much of me. i rarely think to pray before meals. it's not that i don't ever pray, i do! frequently throughout the day. but when the food is on the table, the last thought on my mind is delaying long enough to pray over it. so if we are praying on a regular basis, prayers that include blessings on the day and thanks for those blessings, are we screwing up if we don't pray specifically over the food when we sit down at the table?

 

 

[ncn]

Eph 5:20  giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

 

For me I thank God for what He has supplied me with and that obviously includes food. 

 

Act 27:34  Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you." 

Act 27:35  And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 

Act 27:36  Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 

 

Paul gave us the example , he gave thanks for what they were about to eat. 

 

PS ( I moved your thread here but left a link to it in the other forum )

 

God Bless, 

Nigel. 

 

 

[wingnut-]

I agree with ncn, everything is a gift from God, including food.  When someone gives you a gift, it is customary to say thank you.

[OakWood]

not sure if this is the right place for it, but i didn't think controversial was quite right either. maybe it is. someone can move it if need be.

 

ok, i saw a cute little poster on facebook today that reminds me so much of me. i rarely think to pray before meals. it's not that i don't ever pray, i do! frequently throughout the day. but when the food is on the table, the last thought on my mind is delaying long enough to pray over it. so if we are praying on a regular basis, prayers that include blessings on the day and thanks for those blessings, are we screwing up if we don't pray specifically over the food when we sit down at the table?

 

We are meant to offer thanksgiving for food. I believe that this is in reference to the now dead art of animal sacrifice which was used to atone for sin before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God is basically saying that we no longer kill animals and dedicate them to him, but when our food is cooked and served we should offer thanks to him instead.

However, it is a good idea to pray before meals because we should be thanking him for lots of things in our lives anyway, and any prayer is a good habit to get into.

[Guest shiloh357]

I don't think it is a mandate, but Jesus as our example,  gave thanks before eating.  

[Guest LadyC]

oakwood, i am in the habit of praying, and do so frequently throughout the day, offering thanks for lots of things. it just seems to escape me at meals.

 

shiloh, yes that is absolutely true! He did! of course with those examples, His prayer over the food resulted in it going from a scrappy meal of bread and fish for one family to feeding many thousands of people. are there any NT examples of prayer over food when that prayer didn't result in a miracle being performed? even in the OT, were there examples of prayer over individual meals, or just over sacrificial meals?

 

so my question remains...  is it a requirement or an example? are we sinning if we don't pray over each meal?  or is it one of those examples that is awesome if we follow, but not detrimental if we don't?

[Guest shiloh357]

Jesus wasn't praying over the food for a miracle to be performed.  Jesus gave thanks for the food. Jesus gave thanks at the Last Supper and no miracles were performed.  

 

Why not show even 20 seconds of gratitude over a meal?   It's not a direct mandate, but is that the only way you would do it??  

[1to3]

I think it has to to with gratitude of what God has provided for us.

 

To have food to nourish us is a blessing.

To have running water is a blessing

To have heat is a blessing.

to have shelter is a blessing.

 

Not everyone is blessed to have food or other comforts some of us take for granted at their disposal as they like.

 

My grade school was in a catholic convent school and we had lunch in the cafeteria, where the meals were served also by the nuns.

We always said prayers before and after meals. At home too we said prayers before meals most times.

 

It is something that I try to do at most meals, but I too have neglected times where I just have forgotten about prayer.

 

I think it a good topic to bring up.

 

I'll be paying more attention.

 

God says in everything to give thanks.1Thessalonians 5:8

To praise him without ceasing, through our day. Psalm 115:17

 

I think is we are more mindful of Christ in every aspect of what we do, we would self indulge less, be less prone to sin.

The fruits of the spirit would truly be able to work in us if in all our actions we where Christ minded.

 

This topic is a good reminder, glad you brought it up

 

Ephesians 1:15,16

Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
15For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.…

 

 

Psalm 30:1-4, "I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness."

 

 

(edited my spelling)

Edited February 4, 2015 by 1to3

[Willa]

Lady C, I am not in the habit of praying before meals either. I don't say rote printed prayers or vain repititions. So I talk to God, and no one wants me to pray before a meal because the food gets cold. That doesn't mean I am not thankful for all God has provided us. Most Christians do pray but we were not raised in homes where this was done and are not it the habit of doing so.

[OakWood]

oakwood, i am in the habit of praying, and do so frequently throughout the day, offering thanks for lots of things. it just seems to escape me at meals.

 

shiloh, yes that is absolutely true! He did! of course with those examples, His prayer over the food resulted in it going from a scrappy meal of bread and fish for one family to feeding many thousands of people. are there any NT examples of prayer over food when that prayer didn't result in a miracle being performed? even in the OT, were there examples of prayer over individual meals, or just over sacrificial meals?

 

so my question remains...  is it a requirement or an example? are we sinning if we don't pray over each meal?  or is it one of those examples that is awesome if we follow, but not detrimental if we don't?

 

I'm not sure it's a requirement just a good idea. If you thank God in your prayers anyway then I guess that includes meals too. So if for example at the end of the day you wish to thank God for all the blessings that you have received that day, then that would automatically include all the meals that you have had.

I think however, praying before a meal is a good idea because meals are a family gathering and it's a time for families to pray together even if it's just a brief one. However, when you're out and about without your family and you enter a fast-food joint and grab a burger it's not the same thing. You can still pray anyway if you wish, but how people pray, how often they pray and when they pray is really down to them.