16 Amen
Amen
When we say “Amen” after the Lord’s Prayer, or any other prayer, what does it mean?
Yes, That’s the Truth!
“Amen” is a Hebrew word used in Old Testament and synagogue worship, whence it passed into Christian speech. In Scripture it not only ends prayer, showing an earnest wish to be heard, but also voices acceptance of such things as King David’s orders (1 Kings 1:36) and God’s threats (Numbers 5:22; Deuteronomy 27:17-26). Its root meaning is “true, firm, solid, certain,” and what it expresses is an emphatic yes to what has been said: “definitely yes” as a man from the English Midlands might say, or “that’s the truth” as in colloquial American. “So may it be,” the usual paraphrase of “amen,” is too weak: “amen” expresses not just a wish, but a committed confidence—“so shall it be.”
“Amen” may either follow an utterance or precede it (“verily” in Jesus’ formula, recurring more than fifty times, “verily I say . . .” is “amen” in the original). Either way, however, it underlines the utterance as an important one with which the speaker fully identifies. In 2 Corinthians 1:20, Paul speaks of Christians saying “amen” to God’s promises, so glorifying him as true and trustworthy in what he says, “the God whose name is Amen” and whose “words are true” (Isaiah 65:16, NEB; 2 Samuel 7:28). Also, in Corinthians 14:16 he envisages Christians saying “amen” to prayers of thanks uttered in public worship. The effect of saying “amen,” assuming it is said with heart no less than voice, is to associate oneself with both promises and prayers in a way that makes them one’s own.
Your Prayer?
The traditional doxology teaches us to round off the Lord’s Prayer with “amen.” This is right. “Amen” (best said loudly and with emphasis) is our final profession of having meant what we have said, and identified completely with the attitudes, hopes, and goals that the prayer expresses. So the fittest way to end these brief studies in the prayer which takes a lifetime (and more) to master is with a checklist of the main items involved; and therefore I ask:
Do you identify with the trust in Jesus Christ as your own Savior, and the faith in God as your own God through him, and the recognition of every Christian as your own brother in God’s family, which is expressed by “Our Father”?
Is the hallowing of God’s name in and through you, whatever that may cost, your own controlling purpose in life? Do you want to see God triumph in his kingdom, and to see everything that does not match his perfection come to an end?
Will you labor and suffer for the kingdom, if need be, so as to become its agent, the means of bringing it into lives and situations where the gates have been locked against God?
Do you happily take God’s will of command for your rule, and God’s will of events for your destiny, knowing (by faith) that both are supremely good?
Is there any matter in which you are flying in the face of God’s will of command, excusing yourself on the grounds of there being other commands which you faithfully keep? If so, what will you now do about it?
Do you see and know that unless God acts to provide for today’s needs, and to pardon today’s sins, and to protect you in today’s temptations, you are lost?
Do you make it an issue of conscience never to bear a grudge or cherish bitterness against anyone, but to show forgiving mercy always, because of the forgiving mercy that God always shows you?
Is there any person whom hitherto you have refused to forgive for what he or she did to you? Will you ask the Lord this moment to help you change your attitude, and get right with that person?
Do you make it your habit to watch and pray against temptation? Will you make it your habit from now on?
Is the Lord’s Prayer really in your heart? Are you being honest when you say “amen” to it? “O God, make clean our hearts within us; and take not thy Holy Spirit from us.” Lord, teach me how to pray, by teaching me how to live; for Jesus’ sake; amen.
Further Bible Study
The dangers of insincerity:
Ecclesiastes 5:1-6
Acts 5:1-11
Questions for Thought and Discussion
What does “amen” mean?
Why is God called “the God whose name is Amen”?
What is involved in saying “Amen” to the Lord’s Prayer?