Regardless of what was on the plate in front of us, Mom always reminded us to say a blessing before shoving a spoon or fork into our mouths.
Teaching children at an early age to thank God for provisions and blessings is a Christian norm.
Our parents taught us thankful words or prayers, even though a three-, four-, or five-year-old may not understand the significance. Most often, the verses were short and rhymed, which made them easy to remember.
Sometimes, ‘thank you, God, for the food’ was sufficient.
But who has not forgotten to say grace before eating? It’s pretty easy to forget, even for adults.
Whether we say or forget to say grace, is blessing one’s food a biblical precept?
Thou shall bless your food before eating is neither a commandment nor are the words written as such in the Bible.
But because of our love and reverence of God and the fulfillment of the First Commandment, saying a blessing before eating is definitely in order.
Ordinarily, when someone gives someone something, the receiver responds with appreciation. “Thank you” is a typical appreciation response.
Is God worthy of such gratitude before we eat?
Who is the giver of food, water, and shelter?
God provides all our needs, whether purchased in a store or grown in a garden.
In Genesis, God said, “I have given you every herb-bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, which is the fruit of a tree-yielding seed.”
And yes, He gives us seedless fruits like grapes and watermelons.
God sends the rain, provides the sunlight, and makes the land fertile to produce food and the water we drink.
God is the source of all things.
Genesis 9:3, God said, “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, now I give you everything.”
Why not thank God, the source of all provisions? Does he not give us strength and means to grow or buy provisions to nourish our bodies?
Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 2:24, “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour,” because “it was from the hand of God.”.
Timothy 4: 4-5 (NIV) says, “Everything God created is good…you should thank God for it. The word of God and prayer make it holy.”
In other words, God’s word and the believer’s prayer sanctify the food.
Another reason to bless the food is that Jesus is the Christian’s perfect example of giving thanks.
In the 9th chapter of Luke, Jesus blessed the bread (five loaves) and two fish before feeding 5,000 people.
Jesus thanked God, His Father; should we do likewise?
Below are two graces I taught my children that I still remember from childhood.
I taught my children and grandchildren to say grace before eating their meals.
God is great; God is good, and we thank him for our food. By his hands, we are all fed. Thank you, God, for our daily bread. Amen.
Thank you for the world so sweet; thank you for the food we eat; thank you for the birds that sing; thank you, God, for everything. Amen.
Be well.