Cedarville Magazine, Summer 2013

has not gained the heart of God, it has failed in its essential purpose.” The Lord’s Prayer begins with “Our Father.” This was never intended to become a mindless religious phrase — it is recognizing the Person to whomwe are talking and the privilege we have to speak to Him. I was asked to pray at a picnic once where most of the people attending were not followers of Christ. As I bowed my head, I simply thanked my Heavenly Father for giving us such a beautiful day and some great food. The prayer was not more than 20 seconds, but several people talked to me about it. One young man said when I prayed it seemed like I was actually talking to a real person. That comment has stayed with me as a great reminder that my prayers are real conversations with a real Person. E.M. Bounds said it this way, “We regard it no longer as a duty that must be performed, but rather as a privilege that is to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.” The apostle Paul encouraged us to pray “everywhere,” pray “in everything,” and pray “without ceasing.” When we pray before our meals, the prayer should be a continuation of an ongoing conversation. Recently I was at Bob Evans with a friend. We ordered our food, talked for a few minutes, and I asked if I could pray I once heard a story of how a business manager did not hire a prospective employee because he salted his food at a restaurant before he tasted it. The manager was not interested in hiring someone who, without tasting it first, just poured salt on his food whether it needed it or not. I am afraid that at times I approach my prayer life in the same way, bowing my head out of habit before meals and reciting prayers without thinking. It is far too easy to go through the motions of prayer without engaging our minds and hearts. Sometimes with friends we even make a game out of mealtime prayers — last one to raise your thumb has to pray. The loser has to pray. Yes, I’ve played this game. And, yes, I typically lose. We know that Christ gave thanks with His disciples before the Last Supper, but is there a command that we must pray before meals? If we don’t pray, will the food make us sick? Who was the first to use the phrase “Bless this food to our bodies,” and if we don’t say this, is our prayer not official? If we don’t pray really loud in restaurants, does it mean we don’t care about evangelism? Perhaps I’m asking too many questions, but let’s engage and think about the simple act of praying before meals. Charles Spurgeon said, “We must remember that the goal of prayer is the ear of God. Unless that is gained, the prayer has utterly failed. The uttering of it may have kindled devotional feeling in our minds, the hearing of it may have comforted and strengthened the hearts of those with whom we have prayed, but if the prayer When this server interruptedmy prayer, it was as though she stopped me frommindlessly pouring salt onmy food. Cedarville Magazine | 29 by Jim Cato ’83 V i e w p o i n t s Salty Prayers for our meal. Right after I started praying, the server began putting our food on the table. When I stopped and looked up, she realized we had been praying, and she was embarrassed that she had interrupted. I told her it was not a problem and asked if there was anything I could pray about for her. She became emotional and asked me to pray that she would find a new job because, although she liked her job, it was not paying the bills. As she stood with us at the table, I began to thank God for loving us and asked Him to provide for her needs. The words of the old hymn seemed new to me at that moment: “What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” When this server interrupted my prayer, it was as though she stopped me from mindlessly pouring salt on my food. I had to remember I was not fulfilling an obligation, but connecting to the very heart of God. Paul said it so well in his letter to the Thessalonians: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Jim Cato ’83 is the Executive Director of HeartSong Ministries, and he has served at Cedarville since 1983. He and his wife, Melody, have three grown children: Kristen ’07, Celeste ’09, and Grayson ’12. You may contact Cato at catoj@cedarville.edu. “Viewpoints” is an editorial article and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Cedarville University.