Article September 8, 1997 Issue

Prayer and eating

Lois Rae Carlson

Having the humility to pray about food loosens strong opinions about how much we—or someone else—should weigh and helps to quiet any fears we may have about eating. Just as we yearn to understand that God is the source of supply for all our needs (shelter, employment, companionship), so we can accept the fact that God guides all His sons and daughters in a way that simplifies and satisfies, and that stops a preoccupation with food.

Two examples from the Bible that I have found helpful are God's supplying the children of Israel with manna for their meals (see Ex. 16:1-31) and Jesus' ability to multiply a small number of loaves and fish in order to feed several thousand people (see Mark 8:1–9).

Both examples have to do with people putting off their limited views of how food should come to them and humbly admitting the power of God, which was sustaining them. Those experiences of provision may seem like exceptions in the middle of dire circumstances, but they are not. What would hide relevance today is the material abundance of the grocery store, along with the wilderness of theories about nutrition and health that we often encounter. These material elements would prevent us from understanding the spiritual basis on which God sustains His creation—including us.

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