This from Luther's Small Catechism - an encouraging prayer for before and after a meal.
Start out with Psalm 145.15-16 "The eyes of all look to You, O Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing."
Say the Lord's prayer, then add, "Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these your gifts which we receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen."
Now here's where it gets interesting. We are in such a habit of eating and running. How about prayer after a meal? He includes that in his Small Catechism too.
Quote Psalm 136.1, 25; 147.9-11. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. He gives food to every creature. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love."
Say the Lord's prayer, then add, "We thank You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for all Your benefits, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
What do table prayers like this assume? First, they assume that a meal is a holy assembly in which we thank God for all his blessings. The giving of thanks is not taken lightly. And we realize that in the Lord's Prayer we are really praying for every kind of situation we might face. Maybe the Lord will bring something to mind during our mealtime that we realize is addressed in the Lord's Prayer. We also see that the idea is to start and end the meal together. A meal is a chance for a family to gather. It's a wonderful appointment. Finally, see how almost all the giving of thanks and declaration of our dependence on God comes from Scripture. We pray not primarily in our words but in the very words of God.
Who ever said prayers you memorize aren't a good thing? They can be full of well-thought-out content and express dependence on our Lord rather than on ourselves.
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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com
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