Bible Study

Title: God Gives Food
Date: Sep 1, 2010
Topic(s): Thankfulness, God's Care
Scripture: Matthew 5:45, Acts 27:35-36, Luke 22:17-19, Psalm 136:25, Psalm 147:7-9, Job 5:9-10, Psalm 104:1, Luke 24:30, John 6:11, Acts 27:35-36, Luke 22:17

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What is the eighth wonder of the world? That a black cow can eat green grass and give white milk. Ask a young child where milk comes from, and he is likely to name the local grocery store. We laugh, not just because he's cute; but because we know it comes from cows and dairy farms and distribution centers. But to be completely accurate, we would need to say that, like all our food, it is provided by God.

What Does God Say?

The Bible teaches that God is the source of our physical as well as spiritual necessities.

"Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call" (Psalm 147:7-9 NIV).

"He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.
He gives rain for the earth
and water for the fields" (Job 5:9-10 NLT).

The Bible teaches that God provides for all.

This is what God does: "he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike" (Matthew 5:45, NLT).

"He gives food to every living thing.
His faithful love endures forever" (Psalm 136:25, NLT).

"Let all that I am praise the Lord.
O Lord my God, how great you are!
You are robed with honor and majesty
You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
You cause grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth--
wine to make them glad,
olive oil to soothe their skin,
and bread to give them strength" (Psalm 104:1,13-15, NLT).

My Thoughts

What might be one of the reasons God provides so generously for us?

"Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy" (Acts 14:17, NIV).

And what ought to be our response to His continuing provision? Remember how the Psalmist said it?

"Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call" (Psalm 147:7-9 NIV).

One of the great encouragements to give thanks to God for our food is the example of Jesus.

John 6:11 says, "Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish" (NIV). Jesus thanked God for the food when He fed the 5,000.

"After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, 'Take this and divide it among you.' And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me'" (Luke 22:17, 19, NIV).

"As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them" (Luke 24:30, NLT).

My Part

When God gives us what we need but do not have, that is an expression of His grace. And we follow Jesus' example when we "say grace" before a meal, thanking God for His goodness and His provision.

"Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat" (Acts 27:35-36, NIV).

By the way, when we do that sincerely with grateful hearts, we, too, feel better and eat with less indigestion and stress.

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