Amen

A prayer before the meal is a simple and generally quick gesture done before each meal. Prayer does not only occur at the dinner table.  God is obviously omnipresent and hears you whenever and wherever you speak to Him.  He is really an amazing God!

Last week we started a new series in Sunday school at my church.  We are going through the book--Don't Waste Your Life.  It is written by John Piper.  I definitely recommend it to you.  Anyways, this morning I began to cultivate a new view on prayers before meals. 

Normally when the food is set out at my home, I am pretty hungry.  I can barely wait to get to the good food.  Usually my mom has prepared an amazing dish.  When homework is not too constricting, I help out as much as possible.  Everyone rushes to the table to sit down.  Someone says a prayer and we all begin to consume as much as our stomachs can hold.  I feel like for me (and maybe you too) that this prayer is just a kind of ritual. Do you understand what I am getting at?  Like I don't think people generally take as seriously or really think too much on this prayer.

Today in Sunday school we talked about having a cross-centered life.  Our teacher mentioned Matthew 6:33.  This verse says: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  Many people seek the pleasures of the world and set God on the back burner (to use a kitchen term).  When I say most people, I am definitely including myself.  I am just as much a sinner as anyone.  The fact of the matter is this: if the thing of first and utmost importance to us is the cross, everything else we could ever want is given to us by God. 

You see, the prayer before each meal should not be taken lightly by any matter.  No prayer should be taken lightly.  Go deeper than just the food itself sitting in front of you on a plate.  Go to the root of the situation.  This was part of what our teacher said in Sunday school this morning.  Think of the ability that God gave the person who made the food.  Think of how creative God is.  He made all those amazing tastes and taste buds to communicate it all to us.  Think of how dull the world would be without all the amazing tastes of food! When you have this mind set, how could you not thank God with sincerity for the food you are just about to eat?  Instead of practically inhaling your food, eat bite by bite enjoying what you have been given.  

The last thing I encourage you to do other than rethink your prayer before meals is to have a cross-centered view on life.  Think about the verse I mentioned.  There is no reason to strive over the things of the world.  God will give you all you need if you just have Him as your focus.  Hope you had a great Sunday! 

God bless you as you begin a new week.