If you’re anything like me, who asks a million questions, I’m sure you’ve wondered why it is people traditionally end their prayers with “amen”. Like, what does that even mean? Is it just a tradition or is there something more to it? Well, I broke out the Strong’s Concordance and found out a true “AMEN” is a weapon in the mouth of the church. Let me explain….
- In the Old Testament, according to Strong’s Hebrew # 534, amen means “truly” or “so be it”
- In the New Testament, according to Strong’s Greek # 281, amen means “surely” or “truly”
“The word is directly related-in fact, almost identical- to the Hebrew word for believe or faith. Thus it came to mean “surely” or “truly”, an expression of absolute trust and confidence“
Strong’s G281 Note
Let’s focus on those two words, trust and confidence. These are words that indicate the presence of faith. We put our trust and confidence in the word of God. If He said it, we believe it. We put our trust and confidence in the character of God. He is not a man, He does not lie. He is the very life that we have. He gives us the air that we breathe. We can trust Him for all things.
As His church we should all be in agreement with His word and in pursuit of His will. When we pray His word and end with a statement of agreement, it is a powerful declaration of the will of God here on earth. Just as Jesus prayed, “Your kingdom come, your will be done”, we ask God in unison for His will to come.
“A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand”
Mark 3:24
All of Heaven is in agreement with God’s will. The angels serve the Lord and carry out His orders. As members of His kingdom we should be eager to pray and pursue God’s will together. When everyone prays the same prayer and truly submits their will to the Father it empowers the church in their pursuit of God’s mission. The whole team was just put “on the same page” in the spirit. There is now unity amongst the body!
“Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you”
James 4:7
Submitting to God is resisting the devil. We cannot be tricked, swayed, or manipulated when we stand on the truth of God’s word and relentlessly pursue His will. We pursue truth because we know it is blessed and God honoring. It is the very thing the devil loves to attack but can NEVER destroy, just like the house built on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27). If we build our lives on the written and spoken words of God we can be sure that through all the “storms” of life, we will stand because we know our purpose and our goal.
Remember that God blesses obedience. To see some examples of this you could compare the lives of King David vs. King Saul, or the life of Adam vs. the life of Jesus. If you want New Testament references, take a look at the consequences of Ananias and Saphira’s dishonesty (sin, disobedience) vs. the blessings the 12 apostles received for their obedience.
Through our obedience God clears a path for us to walk, He stands against our enemies and guards us in every step we take. He empowers us for righteousness and enables us to do the work He has called us to.
So, I encourage you; next time you pray, let the power of your Amen be equal to your submission to God. This can happen in one person’s life as they pray alone at home (respect the prayer closet.) or it can happen amongst an entire congregation of people. God sees it all, delights in it all, and blesses it all.
Do you have a prayer request? Leave it in the comment box below and let the community put their AMEN on it!