I don't necessarily

believe that a "family that prays together stays together."

I have seen in more than 25 years of ministry that often times the "family

that prays together" has a whole bunch of anger that eventually pulls

them apart. Prayer is not a talisman that will keep a family together.

Nothing replaces honest communication, genuine intimacy, and a willingness

to handle conflict constructively.

Please don't

get me wrong, however. I believe in the power and blessings of prayer.

We should pray. We should acknowledge Jehovah Jireh (that is in the Hebrew:

God our Provider) every time we sit down to eat. Who else but God provides

for our food? It's certainly beyond us to take a seed of wheat and make

a loaf of bread. Only God can do that. It's beyond us to take a potato

seed and make a batch of whipped potatoes. Only God can do that. Or, to

take a seed of corn and make a bowl of grits. Only God can do that.

That's one

good reason we pray: to acknowledge to God that he, indeed, is the provider.

I love the prayer I learned from my Catholic relatives: "We thank

you Lord for these thy gifts that we are about to receive through thy

bounty through Christ our Lord."

The prayer

that I was brought up on as a child and often prayed, "God is great,

God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. We bow our heads as we are

fed; thank you God for daily bread. Amen."

My friend,

Rev. Richard Green of New Covenant Metropolitan Church, takes a different

tact as he prays before a meal. He implores God to sanctify the food that

is about to be received. He contends that hardly anyone knows the exact

condition of the food placed before anyone; so, it is appropriate to ask

God to make the food acceptable and nourishing for the body that the body

may be strengthened and not adversely affected (how many of us wished

we had prayer such a prayer before eating some tainted meat?). Sanctifying

the food makes it holy and pleasing to the body.

In recent years

we have heard prayers that acknowledge "the hands that prepared the

food." This is a gracious inclusion for prayer: not only to thank

God for the food but to thank God for those who made the efforts to prepare

the food over hot stoves. I am sure that such a line in prayer has blessed

many a hard working housewife who worked long and hard over a meal consumed

in only a few brief minutes. There again, the cook is a provision of God.

But so many

eat many of their meals out in restaurants. What about restaurant prayer?

Is it appropriate? Yes, prayer is always appropriate. Yet, I am counseled

seen praying in public places in order to put on a spiritual sideshow.

Often, I employ Rosalind Rinker's method of open eye prayer, looking at

everyone around the table and saying, "Are we to thank God for the

food we have before us?" In effect, asking for a response, to which

most usually around the table respond, "Yes."

Bottom line,

I do not believe or practice that restaurant prayer is the time or place

to call attention to the dubious fact of how spiritual one might be. Remember

that Jesus talked about entering one's closet and praying in private.

I have a good idea that people who genuinely pray in their closets are

the people who can maintain genuine relationships.

The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher is pastor

of

River's Edge Community

Church

1091 South Jeff Davis Drive

Fayetteville, Georgia 30215

770-719-0303

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