Prayer is communicating with God. It is our lifeline to the grace and help of God. It should be a daily practice and our greatest joy.
O Lord and Master,
Deliver me and keep me free from a spirit of idleness, despondency, ambition, and idle talk.
Rather give me a spirit of chastity, humble-mindedness, patience, and love.
O Lord King, grant me to see my faults and not condemn my brothers and sisters: for blessed are you unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
My Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for this food. Bless it and nourish it to our bodies. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Catholic
Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Eastern Orthodox
O Christ God, bless the food and drink of Thy servants, for holy art Thou, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Anglican
Bless, O Father, Thy gifts to our use and us to Thy service; for Christ’s sake. Amen.
Lutheran
Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen.
Why should you pray three times a day David, Daniel, and Peter prayed three times a day. They set a model for us to follow.
David said, “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17). Here it specifically says David prayer three times a day
The Prophet Daniel also got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously (Daniel 6:10). This was a habit of the devout.
In Acts 2:15, it says that Peter prayed with the church at the third hour of the day (9 am). In Acts 3:1, “Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour” (3 pm). And in Acts 10:9, Peter went up to housetop to pray at the sixth hour of the day (noon).
This practice was passed down to the early Church. The Didache, the earliest document after the New Testament about Church practice. It says to pray the Lord’s Prayer “three times a day” (8:2-3).
Here we see a set prayer was repeated three times a day. Hence, the foundation for the liturgy of the hours, also know as the Divine Office.
Our Father, Who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name;
Your kingdom come;
Your will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass
against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom,
The power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Lightly edited
“For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim. 4:4-5).
We should pray before we eat a meal. God is our Provider, therefore everything we receive is a gift. We should therefore receive the gifts of God “with thanksgiving.”
I heard a preacher once say that even pigs grunt before they eat. It is true, they do. How much more should we thank our Creator for His providence?
I will share my little prayer that I use before meals. But there are many other examples you can find online. Use whatever one stirs you to thanksgiving.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this food, blessed it and nourish it to my body, through Christ my Lord. Amen.
