A SURE AND TRUSTWORTHY AMEN

The word “amen” means sure, trustworthy, and solid. May we remember that each time we use the word.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES        by Sally Bair

Amen and amen

The ice on Chequamegon Bay this winter proved to be solid enough, in spots only, to hold a pickup or fishing shack. Other spots were fraught with fissures or too thin to support even a man. Thin ice has already caused several accidents.

Sometimes our faith in God can be weak, too. We may believe Him in some things but not others. We may trust ourselves more than God to solve our problems, bypassing His Word, His quiet voice or His promises in favor of our own solutions. Or we may believe God is so far away that He doesn’t want to bother with our insignificant lives.

I recently learned that the word “amen” comes from the same root word as faith and it is more solid than the thickest ice. I never gave much thought to the word amen. It happens to be the word used at the end of a prayer, a word perhaps most of us take for granted. Yet, it is important.

Amen means sure, trustworthy and solid. When we say amen, in essence we are saying “It’s true. Yes, I agree.” But we may be so used to saying amen after a prayer or someone’s statement that we dismiss it from our minds. Saying amen is like saying yes to God—to His salvation and love. It is saying it with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength.

The implications of believing in Him wholeheartedly are great. “If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.” (Isaiah 7:9) Believing in Him is the key to receiving His promises. Such truth is sprinkled throughout the entire Bible.

Paul tells Christians to remain steadfast in faith. “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6-7) We can add an amen to that!

We are also told that without faith we cannot please God. As we remain in God’s Word and close communion with Him, our faith—our amen—will increase in strength. We won’t have to be afraid of walking on unstable ground or on thin ice that won’t hold us up. His promises are amen-sure, solid enough to see us through any problem.

Lord, thank You for Your solid, unshakeable truth. Help us to stay away from unstable and unsafe situations and temptations that might cause our faith to falter. In Jesus’ name, amen and amen.