Sunday, June 24, 2007
Christiancheese
What does it mean when, before a meal, we pray, “Bless this food to our bodies”? Are we asking God to miraculously protect us from any harmful germs or bacteria that might have infected the food? Or are we asking Him to nullify the effects of the junk food on the table (do we somehow hope He’ll turn that Big Mac into a bushel of leafy spinach as it travels down our esophagus?). Or are we simply asking Him to cause the food to nourish us? If the latter is the case—if we feel that speaking those words to God is necessary to ensure nourishment—then I want to ask, do we really need a prayer to make food become nutritious? Isn’t that the way God made food in the first place? And I don’t think anyone should expect special treatment by virtue of their being a Christian—in other words, if you excel in fast food consumption, you should not anticipate the health benefits of a good diet. I’m afraid that many of our packaged pre-food prayers have lost their meaning, if they ever had any to begin with! It’s enough to thank Him for abundantly providing for our needs.
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4 comments:
Interesting reasoning. Here is my 2cents ... Praying that God would bless the food is indeed a request to god that He would cause that food to have a nourishing and strengthening effect on our physical bodies. Is this a way to ensure that the food (even MacD) turns into healthy food? No. Rather, like any other prayer, it is an acknowledgment that God is indeed the Reason that food generally does give us strength instead of food-poisoning.
In an Argument about eating all kinds of food (that was 'unholy' for some 'christians'), Paul states that your theology of food answers what you can eat and what you can't. Theology of food you ask? Yes... I Thess 4:4-5. Only Christians really realize the truth behind Who really does make food beneficial to our bodies. And it is for that that we 1) thank God for the food, 2) ask that He will indeed cause it to benefit our very needy bodies.
The point you make about these 'pre-packaged' prayers is well taken! Do we really understand and do our prayers really reflect our theology of food? I believe not. It is good for us to think about these things. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!
I agree one hundred percent that we all too often have "pre-packaged" prayers.... I think I've said that exact phrase before I eat for the last ten years... often just because that's what I say! While it's wrong of me to say something simply out of obligation or of habit... I don't think the phrase itself is theologically inaccurate. If God so chose, He could easily cause the food I am eating to give me a rare stomach flu that ended in a painful and useless death... even if that food was healthy raw spinach (ha... spinach being a great example in light of the recent toxic dramas with it in CA). but yah.. I don't have as much Biblical reasoning in my head as Andrew does above, so I'll just agree that I shouldn't pray in such a fashion that is common and unthoughtful... ;)
I think the same principle applies to any situation in which we ask God to bless us. Personally, I feel that I spend too much time asking God for blessings and not enough time acknowledging the blessings that He has already put on my plate (so to speak). I think that the act of asking God to bless me should inspire thankfulness what He has already done for me. (Who, besides God, wants to keep giving to such an ungrateful person as myself?)
Good point JV! It is so interesting that some of our prayers are so default. One thing I catch myself saying is "Lord, I give this day into your hands." Do I really mean that? Or is it more of a filler? For me, it often is the latter. Alas! So sad that we do not carefully pick our words to our Brother, Friend, Master, King, Creator!
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