For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
(2 Corinthians 1:20)
On one occasion Donald Grey Barnhouse was shown to his room in the Onesto Hotel in Canton, Ohio. Barnhouse and the porter knew each other well so they began talking about the promises of God. To teach him something about God’s faithfulness and generosity, Barnhouse asked the porter how much money he had in his pocket. The young man counted and discovered he had $1.19. He began to fret because it was Tuesday, he didn’t get paid until Friday, and he had to maintain his family on tips in between. Dr. Barnhouse handed him a fifty-cent piece and said, “I give you this half dollar. It is yours.” While the man held it in his hand, Barnhouse asked him how much he had now. The porter said, “$1.69.” Barnhouse took it back and put it in his pocket and then asked, “How much do you have now?” The porter said, “$1.19.” Barnhouse queried him, “Did I not tell you the fifty-cent piece was yours? Am I a liar? How much money do you have?” The porter got the point, smiled and said, “$1.69!”1 God not only gives generously, he secures what he gives you by his promises in Christ.
It has almost become a cliché to say that we live in uncertain times by now. It can seem like the only thing we are certain of at this point is uncertainty. God has not made us omniscient beings like himself, so in a very real sense, we always live in uncertainty. However, this year has made that reality much more acutely real to us. Corporate worship provides a remedy. In corporate worship, we do not receive the answers to things like the results of an election, the future of the economy, or when a pandemic will end. We do, however, receive certainty about who God is and his promises to us in Jesus Christ. And it is with certainty in these transcendent truths that we can gain perspective on, respond to, and live through everything else.
All throughout our corporate worship service, and especially at the very end, we repeat the word "amen." In Hebrew, amen literally means “firm.” In Scripture, it means “truthful” or “so be it” and is sometimes used to describe the character of God as in Isaiah 65:16 where he is called "the God of amen." Likewise, Jesus is called "the Amen, the faithful and true witness" (Rev. 3:14).
Responding to the faithfulness of God, an Old Testament worshiper would accept oaths by saying, “Amen” (Numbers 5:22; Deuteronomy 27:15, 17: Nehemiah 5:13; 8:6; 1 Chronicles 16:36; Psalm 106:48). He would also agree with the prayers of the priest by saying, “Amen.” That practice continued through synagogue worship and into the New Testament (Matthew 6:13; Romans 9:5; 11:36; 15:33; 16:27; 2 Corinthians 13:13). Paul said it is important to pray in a known tongue so the congregation can say, “Amen” at the end (1 Co. 14:16). It has also continued in the church throughout history. The church father Jerome said in his time, at the conclusion of public prayer, the corporate “Amen” of the people sounded like the “fall of water or the noise of thunder.” 2
We must involve ourselves thoroughly in the worship of God. Each of us is a priest before God; therefore, we must not be passive. We should make each prayer our own by saying “Amen” out loud. Making this full-throated corporal response will remind us that the one to whom we pray is the “Amen, the faithful and true witness” who answers our prayers.
When we add our amen to the prayers of the liturgists and to the conclusion of the worship service that has retold the gospel, we gain certainty about those things which matter most. And it is only with a firm conviction of those things that we can live faithfully through everything else.
- Let Me Illustrate (Grand Rapids: Revell, 1967), 253.
- McClintock and Strong (eds.), “Amen” and “Response,” Cyclopedia, I: 94 and VIII: 1049-50, respectively.