Blessing the food

At this Thanksgiving, if your family is Christian (even nominally so), you’ll probably “bless the meal” before digging into the feast. And rightfully so, though we should be asking for the blessings since only God can bless it. 

Today, our passage is of a famous and particularly beautiful prayer of thanksgiving which our Lord prayed two thousand years ago when five thousand men and probably many more thousands of others had followed him to “a desolate place” and were incredibly hungry. 

Andrew brings this up: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” “Loaves” were not like ours, but were flat, round sheets of bread which could be carried easily. A fried tortilla might be the closest example in our culture. His “two fish” were similar to sardines. It was all the boy had, but he gave it all to Jesus.

Our Lord responded: “Have the people sit down.” This was an act of faith on the part of the giant crowd as daylight faded and they had no food in sight. It was also an act of faith by the disciples as they sat the people down for a feast that the disciples did not have to give. They reclined in the posture taken at a feast, not a fast meal on the go.

Then Jesus gave thanks. He would have used the typical Jewish invocation, “Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, who causes to come forth bread from the earth.”

Such an attitude of gratitude is appropriate whenever we eat (1 Timothy 4:4–5)

Apparently, the miracle occurred as the food was distributed so that the disciples kept giving but did not run out until the people had “as much as they wanted.” This was a rare privilege for impoverished people who often had only enough food to survive, not enough for a feast. But Jesus met their needs and more.

And all of this happened after Jesus gave thanks to God for the food he then provided.

Giving thanks for what we do not have positions us to receive what God will provide. Jesus gave thanks for this feast before it became a feast. He thanked God in advance for what God would provide. When we face challenges, we should do the same. 

When we thank God for what he will do, our prayers become part of what he does. 

As you ask God to bless the food, thank him for your daily bread. 

Thank him and ask him for things with an open hand, with thanksgiving for what you already have. 

Your prayer can be a testimony to your family about Christ if they aren’t believers! 

Join me in following Christ as he gives thanks.