A Good Prayer For Lunch

As believers and followers of Christ, we have always had the habit of praying before meals. We don’t do it because we need a routine or tradition. We do it out of gratitude toward God for the food that He has provided us. Though it is out of our pockets that we buy the supplies needed for the food we cook, even the ability to work and produce to earn this money comes from God. Therefore, it is only fitting to thank and pray to God as we eat lunch.

Heavenly Father, as I eat my lunch daily, help me each time to pray and thank You for it and never grow overfamiliar with the provision that You give me daily. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Why Pray Whenever You Eat Lunch?

We pray whenever we eat lunch because, as mentioned above, we should thank God for the provision that He has given us. In (In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18), it is written that we are to give thanks in all circumstances to God, for it is His will in Christ. Whether our lunch is simple or extravagant, we are to thank God for the food we are about to eat.

Gratitude is the effect of God’s grace overflowing in us. Realizing the graces and mercies God has been showing us causes our hearts to respond in gratitude toward God. Just as we thank God for His grace and mercy in the person of Christ, as written in Ephesians 2:1-9 where it says He gave His Son Jesus to die for our sins, we also thank God for all the other graces and mercies He has given us in Christ. There are many graces and mercies in life that we experience every day and yet overlook. For example, we are able to wake up, we have arrived at work or school safely without getting into an accident, we are able to learn at school or finish our jobs at work because our skills are also a byproduct of God’s grace. More importantly, every growth in holiness that we experience as Christians is also because of God’s grace and mercy. We grow in knowledge because of grace and are preserved from sin because of mercy. Everything is always traced to God’s grace and mercy.

We must remember that we were all enemies of God, as written in (For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:10), but God reconciled us to Him through His Son. Because we are in Christ, we become recipients of grace. Grace is something that we never deserved yet is still given to us. The food that even unbelievers eat is only because of God’s grace. Without grace, we won’t receive anything from God but wrath because of sin. Therefore, in everything and every circumstance, we rejoice and give thanks to God, even as we eat our lunch, whether it is a simple sandwich or an extravagant Japanese lunch.

We also thank God for the lunch that we are about to eat because He has provided us with what sustains us. Whether you are a student, corporate manager, construction worker, doctor, businessman, hair stylist, etc., it is always good to eat lunch because after working the first few hours of our shifts, we get hungry and need to eat so we can continue doing our work. So not only do we thank God for His gracious provision, but we also thank Him for sustaining us. God, in His providence, uses lunchtime to sustain you.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the lunch that I am about to eat. This lunch that I have is small evidence of Your grace toward me and that You, as a Father, always provide for the needs of His children. Thank You for sustaining me as I do my work for today. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How Can I Pray a Good Prayer for Lunch?

You can pray for lunch by remembering certain elements that can act as your guide. The first element is thanking God for His grace and provision. As mentioned above, God’s provision is all because of His grace through His Son, Jesus. We never deserved anything good from God because of our sins, but in Christ, He is our heavenly Father Who takes care of us.

The second element is thanking God for His sustenance. What makes this distinct from the above is that this time you are thanking God for the food not as His gracious provision for You but as His way of sustaining you. In other words, you are thanking God for sustaining you by providing food that will get you through the day.

The next element you can include in your prayer is praying for the people who made the food. One way to become the light to others, as written in (Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16), and abound in good works is by blessing others. We do that by praying for other people. That way, we become a blessing to whoever it is that cooked our food, whether that is blessing them to grow in their cooking trade or for the works of their hands to bear fruit.

The last element is praying to God that all those who are hungry will be able to eat. You yourself are hungry, and that is why you want to eat your lunch. However, others are also hungry yet do not have the means to eat lunch. As you ponder that when you eat your lunch, you can quickly pray that God will also provide for those who are hungry and that they will be diligent in finding ways to bring food to their tables. Also, if you know of people who do not have anything to eat, by all means, do not just stop with a prayer but actually bless the person.

Below is an example of a good prayer to pray before lunch:

Heavenly Father, I thank You for my lunch, which is Your gracious provision for my day today as I work. Thank You for sustaining me this way; may this food give me the energy I need as I continue my work later. I pray for my wife, who cooked my lunch that You would continue to bless the work of her hands. I also pray for those who have nothing to eat, that they would diligently find ways to bring food to their tables, and that You would graciously provide for them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

While prayer is an everyday thing, it is still something we will never grow tired of doing because we pray out of gratitude to God. When we realize the graces and mercies that God has displayed toward us in the person of Christ, we cannot help but always be thankful to God. That is why we are grateful to God whether our lunch is simple or extravagant.