Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Timothy 4:5

"for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer." — 1 Timothy 4:5 (ASV)

For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.—Not only are all created things to be considered pure and not to be dismissed lightly, but in the sight of God, “every creature” is holy when received as His gift with thanksgiving and prayer—such thanksgiving-prayer containing thoughts in exact accordance with the Spirit of God revealed in Scripture.

Thus, all food is sanctified, not only, or even chiefly, by the common formula of a Christian grace before meals. This practice too often degenerates into a mere form of words—into lip-service of the most heartless kind—and is too often regarded as a kind of religious charm. The sanctification to which St. Paul refers belongs to no single prayer or grace, but to the constant habit of referring everything to God as the giver of all—to the perpetual 'office' of a devout heart, which, taking everything as a gift from God, the lover and friend of humankind, continually thanks God from the heart.

One, if not the oldest, form of a Christian grace before meals is the one found in the Apostolic Constitutions. It is very simple and beautiful, and perhaps not too long for daily use. It runs as follows: “Blessed are You, O Lord, who nourish humankind from their earliest youth, who give food to all flesh; fill our hearts with joy and gladness, so that we, always enjoying sufficiency, may abound in every good work in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom glory, honor, and power be ascribed to You for all ages. Amen.”