Praying before a meal

[a.baker]

No we are to give thanks for everything. The good and the bad. I don't understand why Christians feel the need to pray before very meal. Doesn't make sense and in some circumstances seems kinda showy. I mean do these same people pray before they get dressed, drink water, or turn on a light ect. ect.? I feel when Jesus told us how to pray He was setting an example. I feel real prayer comes from the heart, not repeated scripture in unison in church said out loud and not the same repeated prayer at home. I feel the HS, also what said in scripture, that it puts groans within us of what to pray for. This shows prayer is done from the heart. I can't stand all these books being sold in stores telling us how to pray or what to repeat for a prayer so God will listen.

Does anyone here pray before every meal? I don't understand where this started from or why Christians look at you as if your sinning because you don't pray before every meal. Is this a tradition of men? Scripture does tell us to wait until everyone is present before we eat though. But I see no where scripture telling us we have to pray each time before we eat. Do these same people pray before they have a snack or bite of any food?

[InTheWind]

Best to pray and give thanks 24-7 then your covered. :nod:
As far as praying before a meal i`d say it`s tradition that people grew up with but i`m not sure.

[kay-gee]

It is the following of Christs example. Notice when ever Christ is doing food or drink it is with a prayer of thanks first!. In every instance.

all te best...

[John Beckett]

`

Yes, when Jesus Provided all of those fish and loaves,
He Raised them up to the Father and asked Him to
Bless the food. If He did it, then i darn sure
will do it before eating anything, including
a piece of fruit or a glass of milk.

To me, there are too many ppl going without
food these days, and I love to eat. Sorry,
but I do. And the thought that there are
some out there who may go without
today hurts my very soul, and so
i make it A POINT to thank Him
for Providing for me and for
Blessing the nourishment
i am about to consume.

[a.baker]

This question comes to mind. Was Jesus praying because God supplied a need or praying for the consumption of food?

I say this comes across to me as in giving thanks for a fulfilled need. So we should often give thanks for all giving specifics, like I said the good and the bad. I don't think it matters to God if it is at every meal or once a day or once a week as long as we tell him and show him our thanks and I don't think food should be any different than anything else.

I say this because some Christians act like your sinning if you don't pray for thanks before every meal. I don't see this as being a command; must pray before every meal. God cares about us giving thanks for all things at all times. I don't believe God holds food more high of thankfulness from us than anything else. Thats why it seems traditional to me.

[InTheWind]

I should explain what i meant by saying pray 24-7, nobody can do that, silly me. :aah:
But I do pray in my mind and think about Jesus all the hours i`m awake so i don`t pick and choose what to pray about.
Just give thanks for everything all the time. :nod:

[CoreIssue]

Actually Christ did not set a demand to pray before every meal. The fish and loafs was a time or miracle, for which he thanked the Father.

You can thank God in the morning, night, noon, whenever it strikes you to do so throughout the day and so on. But a command to do so before every meal? Never given or implied.

[a.baker]

lol ITW I know what you meant. :D

Thanks Core for clearing it up :nod:

[gipsy]

i always do, its great to give thanks for what we eat ,um um

[John Beckett]

`

Amen to that, gipsy! :nod:

And tradition has nothing to do with it.

Unfortunately, my mother is not only NOT Christian,
but she actually ridicules me when she sees me
praying! Thus, it is safe to say that I was
not raised by her or any Church to say
"Grace" before eating. And the guy
who my birth certificate claims
is my biological father is an
atheist, so he obviously
had nothing to do with
it, either. It is just
something i do to
show my thanks
and love to my
Lord because
i believe He
Provides
for me!

And if He were Sitting beside me, would i not
thank Him? Would not anyone?? So then,
why not do it now, even though He is
not there With us when we're eating?

Or is He?? ;) ;)

[CoreIssue]

John, I have no issue with giving thanks. Go ahead and do it.

But I think you are missing the point. We are to give thanks for all things. Food is not a higher priority than anything else.

Do you give thanks before you drive your car, before you drink a glass of water and so on? Of course you do not since that would mean you were spending almost your whole day giving thanks and getting nothing done.

It is a tradition that has gotten into the minds of many to be an elevated status. That is the danger of traditions. They create false demands and priorities.

I daily give thanks for everything. My routine time is at night and any time during the day I feel the urge. I do not single our food, though, as a special event nor a meal as the time and place.

[a.baker]

Yes give thanks as it seems fit. Nothing wrong with that.

Why I started this thread is because there are many Christians I have come across that act like if you don't pray before a meal and you are a Christian than you are sinning. So to have a Christian "point the blame finger" and snare at me for not praying before I eat, like its a command or something, like I am sinning before them, is bothersome to me and thats why I started the thread.

It reminds me of the whole Sabbath day and Jesus was with his disciples and they were picking grains of wheat to eat and some approached them, I forget who, about his disciples working while it being the sabbath. Jesus told them the parable about how even if it is the sabbath and your sheep fell into a hole wouldn't you reach down and pull it out.

Giving thanks when and how is between us individually and God. Having to do it as a command or ritual is not biblical as Core stated. In general giving thanks is biblical and thats it.

I have also seen in the past the prayer for a meal as a way for some to set the stage for their showy prayer, not for God, we as Christians can see through this ands see the difference with a prayer for God or a prayer for show.

[CoreIssue]

Exactly the point.

And many do the same prayer over and over, which we are told not to do. It is called a pagan practice of power in words, which is what WoF and many other forms of Pentecostalism are into.

[John Beckett]

`

I won't go so far as to suggest that you're SINNING by not
saying grace before eating, but I will say that if you can
consume something without thanking Him for Providing,
then you are in effect telling Him that you do not
believe He Provided it, and you are also taking
your "Blessings" for granted. In other words,
with all the people who eat nothing or very
little, you're just taking your fortune for
granted. Kinda like stretching and
exercising strenuously, but not
feeling grateful that you are
able to do such things,
when there are those
who have muscular
distrophy who
cannot.

As for repetitive prayers?? I am guilty. lol

Here is what i say before each meal ...

Heavenly Father, Almighty God, i thank You
so very much for this food i am about to eat,
and i thank You dear Lord for Blessing this
nourishment to my body in Jesus's
Beautiful Name. Glory forever to
You Alone, through Jesus, Your
Beautiful, Holy Son, my Awesome
Lord and Savior. i love You and
praise You to the highest of
Heaven, with all my heart,
and all my soul, and all
my might, and all my
spirit, forever and
always! Amen!

i say that everytime, and i don't feel as though
i am reciting it so much as i am merely expressing
my SINCERE thanks to Him, because i know what
it is like to be hungry and to be in want.

IT ROTS, BIG TIME!!!

Now, I don't wanna get in trouble here, Core.

In no way am I questioning A Baker's love and
devotion to Jesus. She is one of the main
reasons I love coming here and fellowshiping
with y'all. Her love and light for the Lord
shows abundantly on a daily basis, and
i am proud to call her my dear Sister in
Jesus. Amen! However, it does pain me
to think that she does not feel the need
to thank the Lord for Blessing her with
the food she eats. I am sorry, but that
is where I stand. However, there may be
a thing or two that she does for Him
that i don't, and Jesus Loves us all,
regardless. Amen? We each worship
Him in our own ways, and He Loves
me no more or less than He Loves you.

Hey, if you wanna take the time to thank Him
once during the day for all He has Done for you,
then glory! That's you, and I am in agreement
with you on that. But dang, how much time
does it take to say thanks to Him before
eating? i do it sometimes without even
moving my lips, if there are those near
me who may not like it. But i will say
grace, everytime. But hey, that's
just me.

In Him, forever!

John

WHEW!!! :swoon:

[CoreIssue]

You illustrate my point, John.

Because someone else does not give thanks in the manner you endorse you are judging them as being unthankful.

You have elevated a non-Biblical practice to a command status.

Am I any less thankful for food, etc. by doing at at a time where I am in private prayer?

Are you less thankful for other blessings by not praying thanks before you use or consume them?

Get my point? You are creating a false hierarchy of importance for giving thanks and false timing demand.

And sorry. The Bible clearly says a a repetitive prayer is as the pagans do and to not be done.

I am not knocking you. Just saying don't lay false demands on others. That is all.

Be thankful for ALL things is what we are told. Not when and how. Just be thankful.

[a.baker]

lol John your right you do not know what I do, so how are you to make assumptions? You hold an accusation and a finger of blame at me for being unthankful when the fact is I am blameless of such. God knows how thankful I am and I don't just say it I live it; enough said. I need to no more defend my case.

Thanks Core for also mentioning the recited praying as in words have power. This is also a huge one to me. When I was first new to God I had someone hand me a book on how to pray and what to say. It was nothing but recited scripture, one for every situation. The book said if I didn't pray this prayer God wouldn't listen. I was full of tears. I gave the book back to them and told them I felt prayer is from the heart and thats when God listens. I told them I just couldn't read that book any more. It made me really upset. I won't go into any more details than that.

Jesus gave us an example on how we should pray, as in attitude and showing us what things are important. I don't believe that is something we have to pray every time. The HS doesn't put aches and groans inside us for nothing. God wants our hearts not recited words.