Amen and Amen

When the clock hits zero and the buzzer goes off, you know the game has concluded. There is no need to ask for more time or to restart the game; what happened has ended, and both teams must accept that the game is over. Hopefully, when the game has ended, no matter the score, you can say you’re proud of your performance because you gave it all you had. The hope is to reflect on what you just did and say and believe that you and your team gave their best effort. 

In the same way we know that a buzzer ends a game, most of us know that when the word amen is said the prayer has ended. It is almost a universal way of ending our time in prayer and moving on.  

But why do we say amen? 

Amen is more than just a verbal period at the end of your prayer that lets everyone know they can open their eyes. Amen in Hebrew comes from the same word as belief and faith. It mainly means “truth” or “so be it.” So when you are saying amen to end your prayers, you are affirming that you believe that God heard what you just said and that it is true that God hears and works for us through our prayers. It is a verbal affirmation that we say to confirm the hope we have in Christ. It is a way of declaring that when we pray to God, we do so with power and knowledge that He has heard us.  

Amen means that you gave your all in your prayer and have left your praise, petition, thanksgiving and confession in the hands of the Father, and you believe with 100% certainty that He is there with you in your prayers. Just like when the buzzer sounds and you want to walk off the field with the confidence you gave it your all, let your prayers be ended with the certainty that we have in our relationship with Christ.