February 15
“Amen.”
In this fifteenth and final devotion in our series on the subject of prayer, we direct our attention to the word with which we conclude all our prayers, the word “Amen.” Frequently, people think of the word “Amen” as meaning “the end.” It reminds me of an occasion when a pastor concluded his sermon with, “Amen,” and a little boy in the pew said to his mother, “That’s the end! Can we go now?”
There might be many people who, at the close of a lengthy prayer or sermon, feel like that little boy did, but that is not the meaning of the word “Amen.”
The pronunciation of our English word, “Amen,” is very comparable to the Greek word from which it is derived. In Bible translations, the Greek word is not always translated with our English word, “Amen.” It may be translated with, “Verily,” “Assuredly,” “Truly,” or, “Yes, it shall be so!” The word “Amen” is an expression of certainty.
People often use the word “Amen” as an expression of certainty in everyday life. When several people are discussing something, and one of them makes a statement with which others agree, it is not uncommon for someone to say, “I’ll say ‘Amen’ to that!”
When we say, “Amen,” at the close of a prayer, we are saying, “I am sure that God has heard my prayer and that He will answer it according to His good and gracious will!” If our prayer is expressed with doubt and questioning, we really should omit the “Amen.” The apostle James wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,” James 1:5-7.
God’s invitation for us to pray and His promise to hear and answer our prayers is summarized beautifully in the words of the psalmist, which many or most of you have committed to memory: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me,” Psalm 50:15.
With our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus, we can respond to our heavenly Father’s invitation to pray. As our loving and forgiving Father for Jesus’ sake, He wants to hear His children speak to Him in prayer regularly and faithfully. And in faith, we say, “Amen!” We are certain that He hears and answers us.
Prayer is the burden of a sigh, The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye, When none but God is near.
O Thou by whom we come to God, The Life, the Truth, the Way,
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod – Lord, teach us how to pray. Amen!