There are people who do not take the Word of God seriously. They treat it with contempt because they do not see it as “true” all the time. At times they fully believe, but at other times they don’t. However, the reality is that the Word of God “is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89). The Word of God will never change – it will not even be affected by tradition, technology or increase in knowledge. Everything else that exists will be subservient to it. The invariable nature of the Word of God was fully expounded by a sorcerer named Balaam who said, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it” (Num. 23:19-20). It is unfathomable to imagine that God will change his mind every now and then. If he does, who will believe his words and his promises?
To alleviate the doubt of those who thought that the Word of God is unstable, the apostle Paul said, “But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you…was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No,’ but in him it has always been ‘Yes.’ For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:18-20). As far as Jesus is concerned, every word that God has spoken is always “Yes” and “Amen.” There was not an incident recorded in Scripture where Jesus contradicted the Word of God. Instead, he always agreed with God the Father because he himself is the “Amen” – the fulfilment of God’s promises. Before his disciples and in the hearing of the people, He made it clear that the words he said and the works he did were not his own but the Father’s.
Not only will we say “Amen” when we hear the Word spoken but when we hear people pray. It is for this reason that the apostle Paul encouraged believers to pray aloud and clearly. He said, “If you say a blessing with your spirit, how can an otherwise uneducated person say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you're saying?” (1 Cor. 14:16). By saying “Amen,” we are actually agreeing. This word means “so be it.” Since we are expectant that the Word of God will come true in our lives, we should agreed with it and say “Amen.” It should not be uttered mechanically or routinely. We must be sincere and must mean it so that God himself will make his Word accomplish its purpose in us.
To better appreciate the word AMEN and to practically apply it in our spiritual walk, it helps to use an acrostic with the letter “A” representing Agree. We need to agree with the word of God. Eliphaz, in the Book of Job, said, “Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart” (Job 22:21-22). Yes, we need to agree and accept the Word of God as it is and believe that it is for us. It is agreeing and keeping the Word that will distinguish us from others. Jesus himself said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:21).
The next letter which is “M” is for Meditation. It is not enough that we agree with the Word but we also need to meditate on it so that we fully understand the will of God and know how to practically apply it. In encouraging Joshua, his young successor, Moses said, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). After meditation, the next letter is “E” for Execution. While we can agree with the Word and spend time in meditation, it will do us no good unless we execute it. In his epistle, James said that “faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (James 2:17).
The last letter which is “N” is for No Turning Back. Many fail in their spiritual walk because they do not persevere enough. They quickly give up when they do not see the blessing coming quickly. They need to listen to the apostle Paul who said, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). We must always remember that though the promised blessings might be delayed in coming, they will surely come. Again, no matter how many promises God has made, they are all “Yes” in Christ Jesus. Amen.
