Primitive Baptist Wr

Grace At Meals
by James H. Oliphant

'A short prayer imploring the Divine blessing on our food and expressing gratitude to God for supplying our needs.' 'In everything give thanks,' is a divine injunction (1st Cor. 10:31). Many places in the Scriptures make it a duty. Christ gave thanks (Mark 8:6). This custom commends itself to reason. If the Lord has blest us with the necessaries of life, and kept us, it is reasonable, that we should recognize Him in this; this is true worship of God. In Matt. 15:25, 'Then came she and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me.' This short prayer was the worship of God. By grace at meals we confess that God is the source of all our mercies; it confesses our dependence on Him for all things. 'It is practiced by all nations, and by heathens themselves.' Where it is maintained in a home there is a constant recognition of the great Being, of the fact that He keeps and supplies all our needs; this is worship of God, and this is to 'pray without ceasing.' It is important to maintain it, because it turns our thoughts to God, at least for a moment and this is good for a family. 'They did not like to retain God in their knowledge.' The Lord complains of this; men ought to retain God in their thoughts and should think of all His perfections, and especially of our dependence on Him for everything, both in time and eternity, for the being and well-being of our families. A sense of unworthiness and of inability often hinders it, and all parts of worship are a cross to even the children of God. The presence of certain ones often makes the cross greater, but the Lord's people should not neglect to give thanks to God for these reasons. We should not hurry through the service as if unmindful of the presence of God, nor speak the words in so low a tone as not to be heard by others. We should not repeat the words in an unnatural tone, but do it in decency and order. I have observed how easy it is to neglect duty, and I have seen the need of trying to live consistently with the profession of religion. It is good to think often of God, and to meditate on His perfections, and our need of Him, and our ruined condition without Him. The shortness of life admonishes us to be instant in duty. Affectionately, J. H. O.

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