Well, dear readers, I got as far as sending the devotionals to my church media team and completely forgot to post them here. Oops, sorry! I decided to use the great suggestion that one reader offered of revisiting some previous posts, at least for the summer months while I’m trying to move and prepare for a new job. In case you’ve been holding your breath 🙂 , here’s this week’s new-again devo and daily posts through today:

 

Gather ’round the table (Prayer Devotional for the week of June 1, 2014)

What do meal times look like at your house? Do you have formal place settings with stemware, cloth napkins, coordinating dinner plates and [real] silverware? Do you have to-go boxes with plastic utensils, paper napkins and soft drinks? Do you have mismatched, hand-me-down dishes and plastic tumblers? Does it matter? What is the purpose of meal times? Meal times boil down to two things: eating and togetherness.

We have to eat; that’s a given. Cooking a meal can be a fun adventure in trying out new recipes. Figuring out what to make with what’s left in the pantry two days before payday can be a good exercise for the imagination! Even Leftovers Night can be enjoyable if you give it a silly name like “Buffet Surprise.”

Meal time is also an opportunity to pause and thank God for his provision. If you have kids, why not invite them to take turns saying a blessing for the meal? Even if they thank God for a litany of everything except the food, then it’s still a good practice to get into. Meal time is more than just shoveling food in our faces; it’s the building block of community. It’s a chance to unwind from the stress of the day, reconnect as a family and refuel our bodies. What if you don’t have a family to gather around the table with each day? You might consider meal time as your chance to invite God to join you at your table; set it apart as a devotional time with the Lord. As you refuel your body with food, refuel your spirit with prayer or reading.

The Old Testament – especially the books of Kings, Samuel and Chronicles – has many references to the king’s table. It was a place of honor, to say the least. Your dinner table can also be a place of honor – for your family and for your unseen guest. This week, let’s invite the Lord to be our unseen guest – not only at our dinner table, but throughout our day.

Originally posted April 3, 2011

Sunday:  If you don’t have the habit of praying at mealtime, try it today. Thank him for his provision.    Already pray? Say it a different way today.

Monday:  Jesus called himself the Bread of Life. He is nourishing to our spirit. He is satisfying. He fulfills our every need. Thank him today.

Tuesday:  Try something new at mealtime today. Use the fancy dishes; sit in different seats; eat with your   non-dominant hand. Be joyful.

Wednesday:  Think about someone in your life who needs a sense of community. Invite them over for dinner … to your Life group … to church!

Thursday:  Open your pantry. Even if all you find is beans & rice, thank God for it. We are richly blessed! Thank him today for his abundance.