Saying 'Grace'
God is great
God is good
And we thank Him
For this food
By His hand
We all are fed
Give us Lord
Our daily bread
Amen
How many of you were taught this blessing as a kid? It literally was not until today did I ever think about what it meant. It is super easy to get lost in a tradition and never consider why you do it or what it means. Saying grace should not be a ritual that is performed out of habit, tradition, or to show non-believers at a meal that you are a Christian (something I used to do until I learned better). Years ago, I heard a pastor say don't say grace if you don't mean it. So I stopped saying it when I didn't mean it. I was only going through the motions so I looked like a good Christian, which actually made me a poor example of Jesus. So what is saying grace about? The blessing tells you, so let's break it down.
God is great God is good
God is indeed great and good. Part of His greatness and goodness is His love for His creation. He made us and the earth in His greatness and He established it as good (Genesis 1). Why is mentioned at meal time? Because everything begins with Him (Colossians 1:16-17).
And we thank Him For this food
The reason we are saying grace is to thank God for His fulfillment of His promise to meet all of our needs on a daily basis. Throughout the scriptures, God promises to provide for us.
By His hand We all are fed
As I mentioned above, God created all things including the resources for food. We erroneously believe that we make our lives happen. While we have a responsibility to steward our lives, make no mistake - it is God who is running the show (John 15:5). Without His hand, there is no food.
Give us Lord Our daily bread
This is praying in the manner God told us to in Matthew 6:11 ESV, "Give us this day our daily bread." This prayer is consistent with the act of believing that it is by God's hand that we are fed.
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Saying 'grace' is an act of worship that declares our dependence on God and gives us the opportunity to praise Him and thank Him for keeping His promise to provide for our daily needs.
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