Saying Grace reminds us of Grace

Article printed in Durant Daily Democrat on Friday, July 29, 2011

Saying grace can go something like this: “God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen.” I do suggest praying prior to every meal as it is a great way to remember what God has done to provide for us and our physical needs. In addition, we need to remember those that are struggling currently not only during our prayer but with our action of giving and volunteering. Not only does saying grace remind us that God has provided our meals, but that through Jesus the Christ we have been given salvation. We remember every time we break bread that Jesus gave His whole self for our wholeness. Saying grace is a wonderful practice and I encourage everyone to do it, and not only when company comes to dinner, and do note it does not need to be said aloud, for God hears every thought. And as I am on the subject, if you do want to get to eating before the food gets cold, you may want to start praying instead of asking the preacher, and some congregants of mine have figured that out over the years.

This may seem like a non sequitur, but I hope to tie it up in the next paragraph. More and more people are taking medicines. Some are prescribed for a specific duration, but many have been prescribed indefinitely. I have helped some congregants go to the doctor, and always the question comes up, “What medications are you taking?” The most organized patients will have a printed list with all the information printed, and from an experience a few years ago in my family I know that it is essential, not only for the doctor, but simply to know when and what medicines should be administered. Of course, like most people, I would want to avoid taking medicine; however, I know that many people have improved their quality of life as well as longevity. It is wonderful what the medical field can do with these assorted colorful pills, caplets, and injections we call medicine.

Back to saying grace, we say it when we are consuming meals that sustain us, but why do most of us not say grace when we take our medicine? Well I hope it is simply that you have not thought of it, for every time I suggest it to someone, they react with what a great idea it is. I will not take credit for this idea, but I want you to know why and how to say grace for your medicine. It is not the same prayer you would say at the dinner table, rather it would go something like this, “Jesus the Great Physician, help these medications to do the work as it is intended, protect me from any of the side effects. I thank You for my medical help that comes from you through my medical staff and caregivers. Most of all I thank You for making me whole through your death and resurrection.” Or something like that, as a preacher I may go on even longer myself. This additional grace over medications I believe helps the medication to work more fully, but more importantly it reminds us what really makes us whole is our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.

Saying grace at the meal table, or for a medication, reminds us of Grace. It is not what we do but what God does for us all that we are saved and made whole.