Good Eats

“Give thanks to the Lord…who gives food to every creature.”  Psalm 136:25

I’m still thinking about Thanksgiving, and today I’m grateful for good food!

When we’re at home, my family sits down three times a day to eat.  Since I do most of the cooking, I won’t say there’s always good food on the table, but there is always food—food for which we are thankful, and so we say so.   Jesus started this practice back in the Bible when He picked up His lunch and paused to say thanks.  “Taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks”(Matt 14:19). 

Funny that the first time in all of Scripture where someone speaks in gratitude to God before a meal is the very time when there surely didn’t seem to be enough to go around.  Perhaps that’s the point.  Just as thousands of hungry tummies could only be filled that a day by a miracle of God’s grace, so our tables can only be filled day after day by His same providing power.  “Give thanks to the Lord…who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever”(Ps 136:1,25). 

God’s unfailing love for His creation and His children prompts Him to provide what we need—whether it be a five-course meal or a simple fish sandwich.  And, oh the delights of His provision!!  The sweet juiciness of a tree-ripened peach.  The hearty comfort of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  The spicy tartness of a kosher dill.  The buttery crispness of a fresh Ritz cracker topped with, well, almost anything—or nothing at all!  And did I mention chocolate??

The variety of foods available for our consumption seems unending, and if our cupboards are bare, a quick run to our grocery of choice soon stocks the shelves.  We live in a land of staggering abundance, but don’t feel guilty; feel grateful.  Say thanks, share with those in need, and savor the many flavors. “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things”(Ps 107:8-9).

The dinner bell is ringing, but don’t just “say grace.”  Let each meal be a reminder that you have received it—and be thankful for it.