Are YOU a coward?

My Bible says to pray without ceasing. Many non-believers say a prayer at meal time. I have been in many countries where praying at meal time is not a custom.

 

Personally, I say it to myself. Everymeal in everything. I do it for myself and my own soul, It dosen't need to be brodcast, But I think the question is do you do it in public, or are you ashamed. I stopped being ashamed the day I was saved. I would say my prayers in open, I'm just shy. I know my children are not as shy as I am and they say theirs outloud. I think it rests on the person and the situation.

 

For 22 years now my family has been holding hands during the mealtime prayer. We do this at home and when we go out. There are six of us, so I have no doubt that those seated at neighboring tables can hear our prayer. However, we are not praying so others can hear us, we are thanking God for the food He has provided.

Even when it just my wife and I alone, we still join hands and pray. We do it for no other reason than we think it is right and we've always done it that way.

For an example of what not to say as a mealtime prayer, see the classic western Shenandoah with Jimmy Stewart.

 

That's just not practical.
<edited for good taste>

[ May 25, 2005, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: C4K ]

 

My folks taught me to say thanks for every meal. I don't think that it matters how I do it if I have a heart of thanksgiving to the one who supplies all my needs. I pray out loud when I am with friends and quietly when by myself. It has helped me in all areas of my life to always thank God for His goodness and grace. NOt just at mealtime. That is exactly what my parents wanted me to get out thanking God at the table. We should thank Him hundreds if not thousands of times a day.

Side note, I was praying at a resturant with a friend and the guy next to us came over and cussed us out for ruining his meal. We explain and wittnessed to him. His name is Daryl Allen and he is a christian saved for over 18 years now.

 

I thank God, then I thank the waiter.

 

In my case it has been known to happen (but not while praying).

HankD

 

mioque have you been naughty again?

HankD

 

I'm fully innocent
I only pointed out that my female anatomy makes chestbeating inpractical.

 

I admit sometimes I forget, but 95% of the time yes we say our blessings in a public place out loud. Many a time a waitress or waiter that was delivering something to our table waited silently while we finished.

 

I say the blessing at home and at in public. However like my father in law who was a baptist missionary for 35yrs. in Africa says : You can always tell when some guy hasn't had a regular prayer time because he tries to make up for it by saying such a long blessing. ha!Ha.
Seriously, Jesus did bless the food openly before He fed the 5000. However this is a silly question. When I get to heaven I believe as a husband and father I'm going to be held responsible for how I guided my own family spiritually not for how Joe guided his. It is impossible to gauge whether or not someone is a "cowardly Christian" (Coppers terminology not mine)based upon whether or not they say the blessing publically or not.
Furthermore, to imply that a fellow believer is a coward if they don't say the blessing in public is also implying that those who do are somehow just a knotch or two above those who don't This is not a good demonstation of a Christ-like attitude but it is demonstation of an immature brother in Christ.
With all the problems facing those who are blood-bought children of God today we who says the blessing publically and who doesn't is a somewhat frivolous matter.

 

Rub a dub dub - thanx for the grub - Yay God

then the sound of mass eating breaks out
or the classic

God is great God is good thank you for this food amen

Or should people stare at you for being taught to say the above prayers as holy writ - you can always improvise some holy sounding schlock

 

No matter where my family is at when we're dining...we always say a blessing to God for our food. I remind my children that we should always thank God for the things we can have.

 

That line would be somewhere around the collar of your shirt, exactly between your head and your heart.

In HIS service;
Jim

 

How does one judge another’s heart and motives? Yes, asking the Lord’s blessing in public can be a Pharisaical act if it is done to be observed by men. Jesus said they had their reward. On the other hand, who can criticize the sincere believer who bows his or her and prays openly in gratitude and genuine thankfulness to God? The leaven of the Pharisees, Christ said, was found in their hypocrisy, not their individual acts of piety. Don’t you think there is sometimes a Pharisaical spirit in piously pointing out possible Pharisaical actions?

 

Depends on your motive and intent which only you and God know.

 

King James said, "And there's really no Scriptural command to even bless our food. All we have to have is an ATTITUDE of thankfulness to God and that is all that is necessary. "

No, there is no direct command for this but we do have an EXAMPLE for this. Jesus himself.

Mt 14:19
And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

Mt 26:26
¶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
Mt 26:27
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mt 26:28
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mr 6:41
And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
Mr 6:42
And they did all eat, and were filled.

So....


In HIS service;
Jim