Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would say that the practice referred to as "blessing food" is not related to any quality of the food itself, or intended to affect the food in any way, but is instead an act of thanksgiving to God for providing food for us to eat, and a recognition that He is the ultimate source not only of the food we eat, but of all the other gifts that he mercifully provides us -- chiefly the eternal life that He makes possible through faith in Christ for the forgiveness of our universal sin (that is, our disobedience to His commandments).

As Martin Luther explained the petition, "Give us this day our daily bread" from the Lord's Prayer, "God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.... Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like."

March 26 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report