Gratitude Exemplified

I love it when I see a family in a restaurant pause and bow their heads in prayer before a meal. I think it’s a good witness. (By the way, if you pray publicly in a restaurant, please don’t be a cheapskate. Leave a tip.)

The simple act of saying grace over a meal is a great way to show our thankfulness to God. And here’s something you may not realize: Jesus gave thanks to the Father in prayer. Matthew 15 gives us this detail about the feeding of the four thousand: “So He [Jesus] commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude” (verses 35–36 NKJV).

I find that amazing. Jesus gave thanks to the Father before they had their meal. He gave thanks for the necessities of life, like food. And if Jesus did it, should we not do the same?

In what is known as the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:9–11 NKJV).

In other words, “Give me my daily necessities. Give me the food that I need to eat each and every day.” By doing this, we’re acknowledging that everything we have comes to us from God. God gave us our minds, our health, and our strength. He gave us the ability to do our jobs. God has given us everything we have. Understand that.

When someone does something for you, it’s common courtesy to say thank you. We should do the same with God. God wants us to give thanks.