Prayer for the World–The U.S. and Food

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1. Father, forgive me for taking food too lightly and forgetting that every bite
(a) is a gift from you, and
(b) is a gift which not everyone in the world or even in my town has received today.

I pray for young children in poor parts of the United States, who during this summer break are losing weight, because free school breakfast and lunch are the only dependable meals they ever get.

I pray for homeless shelters and soup kitchens, where people demonstrate your love with  literal bread and meat. I pray that as empty stomachs are filled, the emptiness of the heart will be able to be heard, and people will want and find the Bread of Life.

2.   Forgive me when I elevate food too highly and use it to ease my pain or to forget how much I hurt. Forgive me for being too satisfied with the temporary numbing of food, rather than letting my desperate pain cause me to seek you more and wait patiently for you. I demand relief now rather than waiting on you. I am sorry, Lord.

I pray for other Americans who are hurting today, and who are desperately trying to soothe that hurt with food. For those trying to lose their pain in comfort foods. For those trying to make themselves more attractive, acceptable, loved by starving themselves. For those battling addiction to eating and the guilt and pain that results from eating too much–again and again. To those hurting  their bodies by using food in ways that you never intended, Lord, make yourself  known, in those places of guilt, hurt and shame. Help us not be obsessed with weight gain or weight lost as the goal. Willpower won’t fix our problems. Lord, we need you.

Use our polarized obsessions with food–desperately trying to get enough to live on or desperately trying to eat less–to draw us to you. If  lack of food or struggle with food addiction draws us to know and depend on you more, Lord, thank you.